


I see you

by you_make_me_wander



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: AU, Comedy, Multi, Romance, Scallison, Stydia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-27
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-03-03 21:51:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2889197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/you_make_me_wander/pseuds/you_make_me_wander
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She has never been kissed. He got expelled from his last school for sleeping with one of his teachers. What happens when they meet? Stydia AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the prompt: Imagine Persons A and B of your OTP both go to a private school. Person A is really studious and innocent, like never have been kissed type of thing. In contrast, Person B got kicked out of their old school for sleeping with a teacher. One day Person B sees Person A in the hall and decides that ‘corrupting’ Person A will be their personal mission this school year. Up to you whether or not they succeed.

He notices her right on her first day at Beacon Hills Academy, standing in the hallway and engaged in a conversation with the Principal. It’s Monday and Stiles finds her right when he’s about to get to his first class. He can’t afford to be late though, so he enters his classroom and sits beside his best friends, Scott and Danny. Well, only Scott, actually; Danny is nowhere to be seen.

Stiles leans in Scott’s direction and murmurs. “Who’s the new girl?”

“Who?”

Scott, of course, is oblivious to his surroundings as always. Stiles squints his eyes at him. “The redhead.” He tilts his head towards the door.

“I don’t know,” Scott says, shrugging his shoulders.

 _Shocking_ , Stiles thinks. “Where’s Danny?”

“Principal Kelly called for him. He didn’t say what for.”

“Maybe it’s about the new girl,” Stiles mumbles.

Sure enough, not a minute later, Ms. Baxter - one of their teachers - comes into the classroom followed by the Principal and said redhead, Danny trailing behind her. Danny walks to his seat next to Stiles, who’s fidgeting nervously on his desk. While the Principal has a few words with the teacher, the girl stands awkwardly on her spot in front of the class as she waits.

“Hey, bros.” Danny smiles at Stiles and Scott, taking his seat.

Scott mutters a ‘ _Hey_ ’, but Stiles barely lets him mutter anything else. “Hey, where were you, dude?”

“Oh. Mr. Kelly asked me to show Lydia around,” Danny replies, tilting his head in her direction. “It’s her first day here at the Academy.” _Of course they would ask Danny_ , Stiles thinks. _He’s their prime student_.

Stiles looks at the girl intently. “Lydia, uh?” He takes a few moments to look at her. Her long red hair is caught in a ponytail and the Academy’s uniform certainly suits her, complementing her curves; her white button-front dress shirt probably a little too tight, her gray tie tucked into her navy blue skirt, which ends just above her knees. She’s hot, that’s for sure. She’s short though, much shorter than most girls he knows, and he knows a _lot_ of girls. He’s Stiles Stilinski.

He is pulled out of his wandering thoughts by a piercing pain on his ribs; Danny had elbowed him. “ _Stiles_.”

“What?”

“What are you doing, dude?” Danny looks at him amused. “Were you checking her out?”

Stiles doesn’t stutter and grins at his best friend. “Of course I was.”

“Already?” Danny raises an eyebrow. “She just got here.”

“It’s never too soon, I guess,” he lets out, a smirk playing on his lips.

Mr. Kelly asks for silence and introduces Lydia to the class. She smiles shyly, her cheeks bright red. When the Principal’s done, she goes sit in the back of the room and Ms. Baxter starts the lesson. During the following hour, Stiles glances over his shoulder a few times to look at the girl, but every time she’s either taking notes or reading her textbook. She doesn’t notice him.

xxxxxxxxxx

Having different schedules, Stiles doesn’t see the girl much during the following days. He knows that Danny has talked to her a few times but Stiles happened to not be around then. When he does see her, she’s usually with Allison and Jackson, two of their classmates that Stiles doesn’t know very well. He hasn’t seen her in their common rooms either, which is weird. BH Academy, being a boarding school, allowed most students to go home only on weekends, so he still hasn’t figured out where she goes at 4pm every day when classes are over. Even Danny hasn’t found out much about her; apparently she keeps to herself and doesn’t talk much.

By Friday, he has to do something. She hasn’t left his mind all week and that’s something he’s not used to deal with. He’s Stiles Stilinski, he doesn’t do that. He meets with Scott and Danny in the hallway and they’re making small talk when he spots her, sitting by herself on one of the benches up ahead. Excusing himself, he starts walking towards her but Scott stops him promptly, an hand firmly on his best friend’s chest to make him stop.

“Where are you going?”

Stiles looks a little smug. “I’m gonna introduce myself. Lydia hasn’t met me yet and no one goes to the Academy without meeting Stiles Stilinski, man.”

Scott looks at him a little apprehensive. “Hey, she’s nice. Don’t be mean.”

“Pff, like I ever do that.” Stiles snorts and lets out a laugh, but stops abruptly. “Wait, when did _you_ meet her?”

“This morning, when she was talking to Danny. She’s really nice.”

“What do you mean, _nice_? You said that twice already, Scott.”

The boy shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know. She just is.”

Stiles laughs. “Right. Like you’re not just being _nice_ because you want to jump into Allison’s pants…”

“Shut up, dude,” Scott shushes him, blushing. He might have a slight crush on Allison. “Like that’s not what you’re trying to do with Lydia, anyways.”

“Please, I’m a gentleman.”

Danny snorts. “Yeah, in bed.”

“Don’t be jealous, Danny, it doesn’t look good on you,” Stiles says, smirking. Danny punches him not too hard in the stomach and they all laugh. Stiles turns to Scott and mocks. “Why don’t you go talk to Allison and stop bugging me?” Stiles knows his best friend has been dying to ask her out but for some reason he is always at a loss of words when it comes to her. Stiles doesn’t let Scott answer his question though, his finger going straight up in the air. The other two boys know what it means.

Danny, placing a hand on Stiles’ shoulder, tries to bring him back to Earth; Stiles tends to zone out when he gets an idea, his mind running frantic. “What is it this time, Stiles?”

He starts walking away, looking smug again. “Oh, you’ll see.”

xxxxxxxxxx

She’s finishing her notes while she waits for Allison and Jackson to meet her there. She doesn’t see _him_ approach the bench she’s sitting on.

“Hi,” he greets.

Lydia looks up to find _him_ standing in front of her, a mess of brown hair and hazel eyes locking with hers. He’s tall, not too built for her taste. Not that she has a type, she doesn’t. He does look good in his uniform, though.

She blushes involuntarily, a little perplexed that he’d be talking to her. Lydia has heard about _him_. “Uh, hi.” She recomposes herself quickly, motioning her arm for him to move away. “Do you mind? You’re blocking the light,” she says, gesturing to the window behind him and returning her attention to her notebook.

Stiles is a little surprised. Usually, girls melt right away, but it’s okay; he likes a challenge. “Sorry.” He steps aside and waits.

Aware that he’s not leaving, Lydia closes her notebook a little harder than was probably necessary. She’s not used to the whole ‘ _getting to know someone new_ ’ thing, which she assumes is what he’s there for. And especially not with _him_ ; she’s heard the rumors. “Did you need something?”

He pulls his best, most endearing smile. “Yes, actually. I haven’t introduced myself. Stiles Stilinski.” He extends his hand to her like it’s the most natural thing.

She takes it reluctantly, like it might be a trap. Her heart might have skipped a bit at that smile. “Lydia Martin. Didn’t know it was required to meet all the students,” she mumbles, her tone a little bitter. Seeing he looks confused, she continues. “Everyone keeps introducing themselves to me. I can’t really tell why.” She has never been that social.

“Well, you’re hot. That’s probably it,” he says, smiling wide.

She blushes again but gives him one of her death glares, obviously unimpressed. She was already expecting for him to make a remark of the sort. “Yeah, you must be right.” She gets up and starts gathering her things. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have people expecting me.” Not a total lie.

Stiles is a little stunned. This has literally never happened before. Never has a girl rejected him or one of his compliments. She doesn’t even know him. She’s already walking away from him when he decides to follow her. “I’m sorry. Did I say something?”

Lydia stops and turns around to dismiss him again, but thank Allison and Jackson for good timing. “Hey, Lydia,” she hears from behind her.

Jackson and Allison rush to Lydia’s side. The three of them became close almost instantly as soon as Lydia transferred to the Academy. Jackson is like Allison’s brother and they have a lot in common with Lydia, so they all fit well together. They are funny and understanding; it works. Getting to know each other better, they found out that Lydia is a little (totally) inexperienced, never even having kissed someone before. Knowing the golden trio (Stiles, Scott and Danny) as everyone in the Academy does and obviously acknowledging Lydia’s beauty, Jackson and Allison swore to her they wouldn’t let them get near her, or any other guy for that matter, if that’s what she wanted.

“Everything okay here?” Jackson asks.

Stiles never really liked him, but he’s heard Jackson is not such a bad guy. And for his idea to work, he’s probably gonna need him; he knows just what to say to get his attention. Looking over his shoulder, he nods at Scott and Danny to join them. He turns to Jackson again with Scott and Danny already by his side. “Yes. I was just introducing myself, I haven’t had the chance before. I was actually gonna invite Lydia to my party tonight.”

“I didn’t know you had a party tonight,” says Allison excitedly. She always knows these things.

“Me neither,” says Scott, smiling back at Allison even if a little confused.

“I’m in the mood, so why not?” Stiles shrugs his shoulders like it’s no big deal. “My place tonight. It’ll start at ten. I hope all three of you can come,” he says smiling, looking at the two girls and Jackson. “All three of us will be there, of course.” He knows that Allison is not gonna say no if Scott’s going, and there might be a little something with Danny and Jackson, so it’s a win for everyone.

Scott and Danny look at Stiles like he’s lost it. It will be almost impossible to throw a party with only five hours to arrange everything, but they nod. Of course they won’t miss it.

Lydia looks hopelessly at Allison and Jackson and they see it in her eyes; the redhead is gonna say no. So, at the same time, Jackson and Allison answer for her. There’s no way they’ll miss one of Stilinski’s parties, especially if they were directly invited. “Sure.” “We’ll be there.”

Pleased, Stiles mutters “See you later then” and winks, _the bastard_ , walking away with his two best friends, leaving behind an astonished Lydia and her two overexcited friends.

xxxxxxxxxx

“Dude, what the hell was that?” Danny is almost screaming at him. He always gets a little too agitated when somehow Jackson is involved.

“I’m pretty sure it was clear as hell, Danny. We’re throwing a party,” he states, unconcerned.

“And how exactly are we gonna manage that?” He looks at his watch. “It’s already 4:30pm.”

Stiles reaches for his phone and then his wallet, taking out one of his credit cards. “I got it,” he says, already dialing a number to make a call.

Scott interrupts him. “But what about your dad?”

“He’s out of town this weekend; I was gonna be by myself anyway. If there’s a chance I can throw a party, I’ll do it, you know me.”

Scott laughs. “Indeed. How big is it gonna be this time?”

Stiles grins mischievously.

xxxxxxxxxx

They head back to the dorms in a slow pace trying to convince Lydia to go with them.

“We’ve told you about his parties, Lydia. You have to come,” Jackson says. “No one throws a party like Stilinski, seriously.”

“For what you’ve told me, everyone goes for the alcohol and I don’t feel like killing a few of my brain cells over a party, so I think I’ll pass. I need to study anyways.”

“You are dead smart, Lydia,” he says. “And I know for a fact that you already have this week’s homework done, so that’s really no excuse.”

She looks at him annoyed. “I’ll have you know I still need to revise my notes…”

“You can do it tomorrow, or Sunday. Please come,” Allison pleads, giving her puppy eyes.

“I don’t know, Allison…”

“Look, life can’t be just study, okay? I’d worry for you if you weren’t smart but you are, Lydia. You’re allowed to have a little fun once in a while. Just give it a try this one time, please? We don’t have to go to one of his parties again if you don’t want to.” At that, Jackson frowns, making the girls laugh.

“Why don’t you guys go without me then? I probably won’t be much of a good company. I don’t really do parties, I told you that,” Lydia murmurs. She really doesn’t. This would be her third party ever and saying that her previous two went bad is an understatement. She’s never really had friends so she just sat uncomfortably alone at the parties wondering why she even bothered to show up.

“Hey, you got us, okay? And you’ll like it, I promise.” She smiles honestly, so Lydia nods. Allison claps her hands, excited. “We’re gonna have so much fun.”


	2. Chapter 2

Allison had managed to convince Lydia to spend the weekend at her place. Not that it took much convincing, really; it was that or Lydia would have to spend her weekend at the Academy and even though she wouldn’t admit it, she was actually a little excited that she would get to spend some time out with her friends.

All three of them part ways, Allison and Jackson heading home while Lydia makes her way back to her dorm.  Her roommate - a blonde girl named Erica - is gathering her things to leave for the weekend and Lydia does the same. Lydia likes her. Erica is definitely more outgoing than most girls Lydia knows while Lydia is much more of an introvert, but she likes her. Erica is nice to her and doesn’t bother her much; she usually leaves Lydia to her studying, but will still talk to her about a lot of things. Let’s just say that Lydia has been learning a lot about relationships and _stuff_ for the past week.

“Lydia, you’re going to one of Stiles’ parties. I’m not letting you leave while you’re wearing that.”

Lydia looked down at her clothes. She had changed to a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. “What’s wrong with it? It’s comfortable.”

“I’m not saying it isn’t, but maybe it would help to get out of your comfort zone a little? You are already gorgeous; it would be just a treat for yourself. And besides there will come a time when you’ll actually get interested in boys and they are obviously already taken with you. I haven’t heard anything else all week,” Erica chuckles. “No need to go naked,” she adds quickly, seeing Lydia’s uneasiness. “Why don’t I pick an outfit for you and you see if you like it?” She smiles encouragingly and Lydia accepts. It’s not like she doesn’t like to dress better or to look a little sexy; she just doesn’t really see the point of wasting her time with it when she can be reading or studying, especially if she’s not even leaving her house.

Erica waits until Lydia is done dressing to drag the girl until she’s in front of her mirror. “So?”

Lydia has to admit that she likes it. Erica chose a pair of shorts in a coral tone and a short sleeved, white, loose shirt with a scoop neckline. The colors really go along with Lydia’s fair skin, along with the color of her hair and eyes. Lydia smiles.

“I want your hair down,” Erica says. “I honestly don’t know why you keep it up so much. I absolutely love your hair.”

Another thing Lydia doesn’t have the time for. Do her hair every day? _Yeah, right_. She still does as she’s told, putting on a pair of beige flat shoes in the process. Erica finds her a golden necklace that is so thin it’s barely visible, only sparkling slightly when hit by light. Lydia lets her hair down; it falls in soft waves that she combs with her fingers. Erica persuades Lydia to put on a little makeup; just mascara and lipstick, its tone close to the one of her shorts. Erica takes Lydia to the mirror again.

She certainly looks different and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Lydia could get used to this; it didn’t take her that much effort. Erica pinches Lydia’s cheeks softly so that they get a little rosy and smiles wide at the result.

“See? You look amazing.”

Lydia blushes further and smiles back. “Thanks, Erica. I really like it.”

“Come on,” the blonde laughs. “Let’s hurry up, we’re meeting Ally at Paola’s in an hour.” Paola’s is an Italian restaurant a few streets down from the Academy that Lydia has been hearing about.

When they get there, Allison is awestruck by Lydia’s looks and turns to Erica, her mouth agape. “How did you manage to get her to look like that?” she asks amused.

“I just gave her a little push,” Erica says smiling.

“It’s not gonna be like this all night, is it?” Lydia asks, a little concerned. She’s really not used to getting that kind of attention.

The girls laugh and, each taking Lydia by one arm, they enter the restaurant. After ordering, they make small talk and when they start eating, Lydia asks them more details about these parties.

“So, there’s alcohol, obviously,” says Allison, “but it’s not like most parties, I guess. It’s mostly beer and just a few spirits that we always mix with juice. His parties don’t really get out of control or anything; never did. If you feel like drinking, you do; if not that’s fine. Most of the guests don’t even go for the booze, I promise. Stiles gets different rooms ready for different things, like there will be at least two rooms with different types of music and another for games, probably one for movies. Then there’s the pool which, believe me, it’s amazing. And he has a jacuzzi…”

“Oh the jacuzzi.” Erica rolls her eyes. “You’ll have to try it sometime, it’s so good.”

“And he always has a lot of different snacks, really,” Allison continues right after, barely stopping to breathe. “Sometimes he’ll order if someone’s hungry. He kind of thinks of everything, there are a lot of options. They are not wild parties, Lydia, at all. And he spends most of the time making sure everyone’s having a good time. We always do.”

Lydia looks at both girls in disbelief, raising an eyebrow. “You’re making him look like an angel. It doesn’t add up with everything else you told me about him.”

“He’s not really a bad guy,” Allison says, “but he relies a lot on his hookups, I guess. That’s what gives him the reputation.”

“Hmm…” Erica looks down a little embarrassed. “I don’t think I’ve told you guys this but I was one of his girls, like a year ago.”

Allison leans on the table and slaps her arm, shocked. “How come you’ve never told me that?” Allison and Erica have known each other for a while now, but Lydia is the one who got them closer.

“I don’t know. It was just a one night thing and I promise, he’s such a great guy. It was just making out but I’ve heard it’s different with every one of his conquers; sometimes more, sometimes less. I don’t really know why he has the need to be with a different girl every two weeks. He’s mostly showing off, I think. The whole trio is, actually. I’ve met Scott and Danny and it’s pretty much the same thing with them,” Erica explains. At that, Allison frowns and pretends to be looking at something on her phone.

Lydia elbows her. “About that, what’s up with you and Scott?”

The brunette blushes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Yeah, right. I might be new here, Ally, but I’m not blind. He seems to like you.”

“I think so too,” Erica backs up. “I heard Danny say something about it.”

“Really?” Allison’s eyes lit up for a second.

“What are you waiting for, exactly?”

“I don’t know…” She starts playing with her spaghetti but Erica gets her fork away from her.

“Allison…”

“I just don’t wanna be another one. I don’t want a one-night stand just to know that Scott will be with another after a few days, okay? There,” Allison lets out annoyed, crossing her arms.

“I think you should go for it,” Erica states bluntly. “You’ll never know unless you do something about it.”

“I think Erica’s right. Weren’t you the one telling me we’d have fun tonight? Go dance with him or something,” Lydia adds, smiling.

“You guys will all spend the night together anyways.” The girls both turn to Erica, a little confused. “From what I’ve heard, Stiles has his eyes on you,” she points at Lydia. “He won’t let you out of his sight all night, you’ll see. And if you’re gonna be with Allison and Jackson, he’ll be with Scott and Danny. I’m willing to bet on it.”

Lydia’s eyes widen in panic. “He wouldn’t try anything, right? Because I’ve never done-”

“We know,” Erica speaks first. “Personally, I think he’ll try but you just need to put him in his place. Should be fun to watch,” she says grinning and turning to Allison. “Make sure to film it.”

“I’m sorry you’ll miss the party,” Allison replies to Erica. The blonde will be meeting her boyfriend Boyd tonight. “Me and Jackson will make sure nothing bad happens, Lydia. Not unless you want to…” she raises her eyebrows suggestively and starts laughing. Lydia throws her napkin at the brunette.

“Why would I want to?”

“Erica is right, he’s got his eyes on you. And you can’t tell us he’s not hot.”

“He’s good looking, I guess…” Lydia mutters, staring at her fingernails like it will make the subject go away.

“Good looking? I may or may not kinda want to drool every time he’s around,” Allison blurts out, blushing hard. “It’s not just the looks, it’s the sarcasm, the sass, the attitude. Scott is hot but he’s like this adorable, cute puppy or something. Stiles… Stiles has game.” Allison even rolls her eyes and stares blankly at the wall, lost in thought for a moment.

Erica and Lydia just stare at her until they all start laughing, not able to hold it in. “Why don’t you go for Stiles instead of Scott, then?” Lydia asks.

Allison stops laughing and starts playing with her food again. Erica almost spits her drink as she rushes out her words. “Oh my god, are you falling for him?”

The brunette hides her face behind her hands. “Ugh, can we not talk about this?”

xxxxxxxxxx

After dinner, Erica leaves. Allison and Lydia stop by Allison’s house to introduce Lydia to her parents and for her to leave her bag of clothes; then by Jackson’s to pick him up.

Lydia is greeted to another bemused look. Jackson is looking at her like he’s never seen her before. She laughs. “What are you staring at? Aren’t you gay?” she asks coyly, both amused and embarrassed.

“I may be rethinking that choice. I still have eyes you know?” He bits his lip. “Damn.”

“Stop it, you’re making me blush.”

He laughs. “I’m kidding, I’m sorry. It’s just you look great, thought you should know.”

“Can we go now?” Allison is beyond excited with the party. “She has boys to knock out.”

xxxxxxxxxx

It’s past 10:30pm and pretty much everyone is already at the party. Everyone except for the redhead and her friends, it seems, who have yet to arrive. Stiles is nervous and he’s not really sure why. He has hosted parties before, so why would this one be any different? He keeps checking all the rooms to see if everything is going okay but once he gets out of every room he finds himself passing by the open front door. Go figure. At some point he even starts pacing back and forth, his hands moving nervously from his pockets to his hair, his breathing becoming a little shallow.

Scott finds him and pats him on the back. “Dude, you okay?”

For a second it’s like Stiles forgets how to breathe, like he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do with his lungs; then he sees _her_ and it’s like a weight is lifted off of his shoulders. He promptly starts walking towards the three newcomers leaving a confused Scott behind.

“Y- You made it,” he says, stuttering a little. His mouth is a little dry and his hands go into his pockets. Better keep them still. He avoids _her_ eyes.

“Yeah, sorry we’re late,” says Allison. _Why is Stiles blushing?_ “We lost track of time.” They did. They had decided to walk to Stiles’ house which isn’t that far from Jackson’s but got a little sidetracked talking all the way there.

“It’s fine. Come on in.” Stiles gestures for them to go inside. “Drinks are in the kitchen, you guys know where it is,” he gestures towards Jackson and Allison. “Why don’t you go grab something to drink and we’ll meet in the living room?”

“Sure,” Jackson replies. Or more like leaves it in the air really, because as soon as Stiles finished his sentence he turned around and left. The three of them share weird looks. Scotts goes greet them.

“Is he okay?” Allison asks Scott.

“I don’t know. I’ll go check on him; you guys make yourselves at home.” He grins, much to Allison’s delight. Jackson leads the girls to the kitchen while Scotts runs up the stairs to find Stiles in one of the bathrooms splashing water on his face.

“Stiles?” No answer, just heavy breathing. “Stiles, what is it? Is it a panic attack? I’ll go get you inhaler…”

“No,” he says panting, “I’m okay.”

“You don’t look okay. What happened? You haven’t had one in years.”

“I don’t know, it wasn’t... It just got hard to breathe and I couldn’t really focus. I’m better now.”

“Are you sure?”

Stiles nods. “Yeah.” He takes a deep breath and nods. “Yeah, let’s go.”

xxxxxxxxxx

The boys mingle again after a few minutes, making sure that everyone is having a good time. Stiles didn’t invite many people for this party in particular; things tend to work out better in a more controlled environment. There are a dozen of his classmates enjoying the music, a few enjoying some videogames. Passing through the kitchen, he gets a beer for himself and another for Scott. In the living room there are only the other four; Lydia and Jackson sitting on the floor and Allison and Danny on the couch across from them, all laughing. Stiles sits on the couch next to Allison and Scott on the floor next to Jackson. Stiles doesn’t know why but he can’t really look at Lydia and that makes him a little anxious; it’s not like this has ever happened before. Whatever it is, it needs to stop.

The group spends most of the following hours just talking and Lydia is actually having fun. It’s a good group, everyone is behaving, there’s not too much alcohol around and a few other people joined them in the meantime. Scott keeps telling jokes that really aren’t that funny but Allison laughs regardless, and Danny is so amusing and social that Lydia just can’t stop talking to him. Also, he complimented her outfit twice already and keeps saying that her hair should always be down. Stiles, strangely, hasn’t said a word to her. He’s not really even looking at her; not that she’s looking at him. Too much, that is. She finds Allison looking at the both of them suspiciously sometimes.

“So, you’re the new girl?”

Lydia turns her head to her right to find a boy sitting next to her. Blonde, curly hair, tall, with the features of an angel. Come to think of it, kind of like a puppy, like Allison said just a few hours ago about Scott. She nods and smiles. “Yes. I’m Lydia.”

“Isaac,” he introduces himself, returning the smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Can’t say the same about you, I’m afraid.”

He chuckles and smiles again. His smile is just adorable. “I’m friends with Scott but I don’t go to the Academy. You just moved here, right?”

“Yeah…” She drags the word a little and doesn’t elaborate further. She only talked about it with Allison. Jackson and Erica only know bits and pieces of her story. Glancing at the sofa, she’s not sure who’s looking at her more distressed:  Allison or Stiles. _Weird_.

“How are you liking it so far?”

“Oh, I like it. It’s all still new, I guess, but I think I’ll do well here.” She smiles politely but hopes he’ll just talk to someone else. Why would he be asking her things? Lydia is not – at all - used to being the center of attention.

“And what about the party? Are you having fun?”

“Yeah…” Again, dragged. It’s not his fault really. He seems nice but Lydia is just not feeling it. For a while, the boy keeps asking her questions that she doesn’t really want to answer. At some point, Stiles suddenly gets on his feet and shortens the distance between them to stand in front of her, rescuing her like a knight in shining armor.

“Martin, I don’t think I’ve showed you the house, have I?” He extends one of his hands in her direction. The only ones who seem to be paying attention to their interaction are Isaac and Allison.

Lydia looks up at him, surprised but understanding. “No, no you haven’t.” She takes his hand and stands up, briefly looking at Allison and ignoring how warm his hands feels in hers. “Not very hospitable of you, Stilinski.”

He leads her away from the living room, passing some of the other rooms filled with guests as he takes Lydia upstairs. When they find themselves alone in a hallway, Lydia ends their silence.

“Hm… Thank you for getting me out of there. It’s not like he was bugging me but I kind of was a little uncomfortable, so hmm… Yeah.”

Stiles scratches the back of his neck, suddenly nervous. “It’s okay. I don’t really like him though; Scott is the one who keeps bringing him along. I- I kind of felt like I had to step in. Wasn’t sure if I should, but yeah…” _Why am I so nervous?_

“I’m glad you did.” Lydia purses her lips together and looks down at her feet, not really sure of what to do next.

“You look really pretty tonight.” His words may have come out whispered.

Lydia looks up at him again, blushing, mirroring Stiles actually. “What?”

 _What am I even doing?_ “You hmm… You look pretty. Danny’s right,” he compliments her again. _Yes, let’s go with Danny._ “You should let your hair down more often. It’s beautiful.” He may or may not kind of want to punch himself right now.

Lydia narrows her eyes at him trying to read his features. His face is mostly red now, as she’s sure hers is too, and for some reason she knows this sort of compliments don’t come so natural to him, which just makes her blush harder. She shouldn’t allow it, so why is she smiling?

“Thank you. You don’t look so bad either.” _What?_

They stare at each other for a moment too long; Lydia playing with her hair, Stiles biting his lip, his hands in his pockets again. If it wasn’t for someone clearing their throat, Lydia could swear the tension between them was rising. She might have been looking at his lips. At the unexpected sound, Stiles and Lydia turn around like they’re in sync. Jackson is almost at the top of the stairs looking at them intrigued.

“Lydia, it’s almost two. We should go, I’ll drop you and Allison off.”

She nods. “Sure.” Turning to face Stiles again, she smiles. “Thanks for inviting us, it was fun.”

“Great. Hmm I guess I’ll see you Monday?” She nods briefly and tries to hide a smile, already turning around to meet Jackson downstairs when Stiles remembers. “I’m sorry that I never really got to show you the house…”

She grins despite herself. “It’s okay. Maybe next time.” _What?_


	3. Chapter 3

Jackson ends up spending the night at Allison’s house too. It’s not the first time seeing that he’s Allison’s best friend, and he was already gonna show up for breakfast anyway. Allison gets them some sleeping bags and they’re lying on their stomachs in Allison’s bedroom with a very flushed Lydia between the two.

“It wasn’t like that,” the strawberry blonde retorts to Jackson, who just blurted out to Allison how he caught Lydia and Stiles, together and by themselves.

“Yeah right, and I’m blind all of a sudden,” he answers sarcastically.

Lydia hisses, exasperated. “We didn’t do anything.”

“It wasn’t that innocent, that’s all I’m saying.”

“I don’t know what happened up there,” Allison adds, “but back in the living room Stiles had his eyes on you the whole time when you weren’t watching, and the same goes for you Lyds, don’t even deny it. You guys kept avoiding each other’s gaze, it was so bizarre.”

“Ugh, shut up.” Lydia hides her face in her hands, but Allison and Jackson start tickling her. “Stop it,” she says, laughing and contorting, trying to avoid their attacks.

“I just think there’s something there,” Allison states, giggling. She turns to face Jackson. “Did you see how Stiles’ face went all red when we got to his house and how he wouldn’t look at Lydia?”

“I gotta say he kind of surprised me. I thought he would make a move on you.” Jackson gestures towards Lydia. “I don’t know, he was acting weird.”

“I think there’s something between you two. Stiles just doesn’t behave like that, at least not that we know of. And the way he looked at you… God, I want that,” Allison mutters. All three fall silent for a while, agreeing internally with Allison’s words.

“He said I looked pretty,” Lydia whispers, lowering her head to hide her blush. “I don’t know why he said it, he just did. And I may have said it back…” she confesses.

“You’re blushing,” Jackson says, playful. “In fact, you and Stiles were both blushing when I caught you. And Ally, she was looking at Stiles when he was biting his lip and they were getting closer and kind of looked like they were melting over each other…”

Lydia sits up and throws a pillow at Jackson, chuckling over his dramatization. “Shut up. I hate you.”

“Yeah, for interrupting,” he teases, grinning. He’s smacked with another pillow. Allison bursts out laughing and Jackson raises his hands in defeat. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop.”

“For now,” Allison plays along, quickly hiding inside her sleeping bag so that Lydia will have mercy on her, but she lowers her voice when she speaks again. “At least you got something.”

Lydia concedes and lies down again. “What do you mean? I didn’t get anything.”

“Well, at least you got his attention and Stiles actually talked to you. Scott just stayed there.” Allison starts rambling. ”I mean, I even got to know Stiles better than Scott because Stiles was sitting next to me, you know? I sort of liked Stiles, actually, like intellectually. But Scott, Scott would make conversation, yes, but with the whole group, not just me. And he got drunk, like, not much but I think he was the most drunk of all three of them. Stiles barely even had anything to drink, really. She sighs, letting out a confession. “I just wanted Scott to make the first move…”

“I think Scott chickened out,” Jackson states matter-of-factly. “At least it’s the vibe I got from him, like he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to do it. The guy was right next to me and once or twice it kind of seemed like he was talking himself out of it, I don’t know.”

“It was a very prolific night, then. No one got anything,” says Lydia.

“Speak for yourself. I got Danny’s number,” Jackson mutters back, grinning at the girls.

Lydia laughs. “We all got Danny’s number, it wasn’t just you.”

Jackson beams. “But then again, I got the number that mattered to me and you guys didn’t. Ah!” The girls frown. “Wait. Lydia, are you saying that you want something?” He raises his eyebrows suggestively at the redhead.

Allison speaks before Lydia can answer him though, trying to give the girl a break. “Let’s just go to sleep, it’s late. We can keep teasing her tomorrow.”

“Fine by me,” he mutters amused. Lydia doesn’t say anything back and just tries to fall asleep. She wouldn’t really know what to answer to that anyway. Before she dozes off though, Jackson whispers “For what’s worth Lyds, I think you two make a cute couple” and Allison agrees with him.

Lydia falls asleep with a smile on her lips.

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It’s just past ten in the morning when Stiles wakes up Danny and Scott, who spent the night at his place. His best friends are hungover and Stiles isn’t, so he has a hard time getting them up and functioning. When everyone is finally in Stiles’ kitchen for breakfast, it’s almost eleven.

Stiles tells them everything. Why he _rescued_ Lydia, where he took her and what he said to her. The way he acts around Lydia is making him anxious because it’s something he hasn’t experienced before and he doesn’t like the strangeness of that feeling.

“Are you kidding me right now?” Danny asks, sceptic. “You told her she looked pretty and blushed? And you were practically sober when you said it? Like, seriously?”

“Yes, dumbass. What did I just tell you?”

Danny bursts out laughing. “I’m sorry, it’s just that you don’t blush, ever. It’s so not you.”

“I know!” Stiles starts pacing back and forth and gesturing way too much to emphasize what he’s trying to say. “I don’t know why I did that, it just came out.”

“Did you mean it?”

“Of course I meant it, Danny. Have you seen her?”

“Then I don’t see what the problem is. So you got nervous over a girl, big deal…”

“Yes, it’s a big deal. It never happened before.”

“There’s a first time for everything, right?”

“You,” Stiles says, pointing an accusatory finger at Danny, “you are not helping, like at all. Scott, a little input?”

Scott, who has been resting his head on his arms on top of the table the entire time, looks up slowly. “What?”

Stiles glares at him in disbelief. “Were you even listening?”

“Danny’s right,” he mumbles. “So you like her, Stiles. What’s wrong with that?”

“I didn’t say I like her,” he mutters stubbornly, blood creeping up his cheeks easily.

“Well, obviously you do. It’s not a bad thing.”

“Yeah, just like you and Allison,” Stiles bites back, upset. “This is not us, man. We don’t do this.”

“Maybe that’s the problem…” Scott offers. “Maybe we’ve been doing it wrong, you know?”

“I didn’t see you try and make things work with Allison last night,” Stiles accuses, half amused and half serious.

“That’s because I’m an idiot. I got so nervous that every time I wanted to ask her something I took a sip to ease my nerves, only it made it worse. I barely even recall them leaving.” Scott lowers his head. “I should call her and tell her I’m sorry.” He straightens up rapidly when he realizes that there’s something he forgot. “Fuck.”

“What?”

“I didn’t get Allison’s number.”

Stiles’ eyes widen with the same realization. “Shit, me neither. Lydia’s, I mean.”

“You two are so fucked up,” Danny says, smiling. “What would you do without your gay wingman?”

“You got their numbers?” Scott asks completely mesmerized, looking at Danny with his puppy dog eyes.

“Of course I did. How did you two forget about that?”

“I was drunk,” Scott excuses himself.

“Well, I wasn’t,” Stiles says. “See? She’s so throwing me off my game, how the hell does she do that?”

“I think you’re overreacting, dude.”

“No! She’s supposed to be just another one.” Stiles starts rambling. “Like always, we pick the girls, we have a good time and that’s it. No harm, no foul, right? That’s what I have to do. I’ll just win her over like I always do and that’s it…”

“Stiles…”

“You guys know I can’t…” Stiles’ breathing becomes shallow. “I- What if…”

“Stiles, calm down.” Danny gets up, placing a hand on each of Stiles’ shoulders and leading him to a chair, making him sit. “I agree with Scott. It might not be a bad idea, you know? I think we should slow down a bit, all three of us. No more hookups for a while. We might be onto something good here…”

“I’m with Danny,” Scott murmurs with a smile, trying to encourage a very concerned Stiles.

It doesn’t help. “No. I won’t leave again, guys. I can’t, not now. I’ve been back here for what, a year now? Me, settling down, it won’t help my case, you know that.”

“We really don’t, Stiles. You can’t say for sure that you know what will happen if you do.” Scott manages to get up from his chair, trying his best to ignore his throbbing headache, and goes join Danny besides Stiles. “This thing with your dad, you need to work it out. You need to talk to him, Stiles.”

Stiles shakes his head fiercely. “No, I can’t. I can’t do this. I can’t do any of this.” And with that, Stiles storms out of the kitchen.

xxxxxxxxxx

Stiles takes his time to get himself together. His dad is always a delicate subject to him and he’s often unsure of how to proceed, afraid that he might be doing the wrong thing. The logic of it is totally upside down, he knows, because in order for things to be good for him, Stiles has to behave badly. And he knows how twisted and stupid it sounds, but it’s the only way he’ll get to see his mom so he takes it. If he didn’t, he would probably already be enrolled in yet another boarding school far away from Beacon Hills.

He knows that his friends were just trying to help, so when Stiles returns to the kitchen he apologizes. They accept, of course; Scott and Danny know how difficult things have been for Stiles in the last few years but they reassure him, yet again, that things might finally be turning around for the trio. Stiles doesn’t want to believe them, instead repeating adamantly that he has to keep doing what he’s been doing lately, or else he might be sent away and he can’t take that; he won’t let that happen again. So when he tells Scott and Danny that he plans on winning Lydia like he always does, the other boys back out. They try to tell him that she’s not that type of girl and that he shouldn’t do it but Stiles doesn’t pay them much attention, arguing with them that they know he is not a jerk; that when he gets with a girl it’s also for their benefit, not just for his own amusement, aside from the fact that he always treats them right.

Still he hates himself for it, he really does. And if given the choice, Stiles wouldn’t be like this, but he has to.

xxxxxxxxxx

Danny and Scott agree not to tell the girls and Jackson about it because they believe they can still change Stiles’ mind about Lydia. That afternoon, Danny gives Allison’s number to Scott but is wise enough not to give Lydia’s to Stiles. However, the boy still gets her number when Danny is playing ping pong with Scott and Stiles snatches it from his phone. Aside from Stiles, everyone starts texting immediately. Scott actually grows a pair and calls Allison to say he’s sorry for how he treated her the night before and they start talking, finally getting to know each other better. Things with Jackson and Danny also work out, both finding out that they have more common interests than they thought. As for Lydia, she doesn’t mind much that Stiles is not texting her. Okay, maybe she minds a little, but she doesn’t give it much thought because she’s texting with everyone else and gets to know Scott and Danny better and they truly seem like nice guys.

Things change when Stiles finally texts Lydia. It’s already Sunday morning when he decides to do it and it took him pretty much half of Saturday to measure the pros and cons of actually doing so. He can admit it’s different with her for some reason but tries to dismiss it; it wouldn’t do him any good to start developing feelings - or whatever this is - for the girl, so he plays it safe like he always does. He has his way with words, he knows that, and girls love it so it’s a point in his favor. Also, texting her is so much better than talking to her face to face because he doesn’t stutter or doesn’t get too nervous or babble much, doesn’t spurt out the wrong thing.

Lydia, on the other hand, is a little apprehensive but she can’t say she dislikes the attention. For every text she gets from him she still takes about two to three hours to reply because she’s never done this before and she doesn’t want to seem needy. Texting a friend is one thing, but Stiles, Stiles is neither a friend nor more than that but he’s something, so Allison and Jackson help her out – though unaware of Stiles’ current intentions - because it’s the first time a boy might be interested in Lydia like that and one that she might be interested in back, _might_ being the imperative word.

Stiles is a confident guy or at least he tries to be, so he pull his best cards to play the game he is so used to win. He says the sweetest things, impressing her, wooing her, being as charming as he can be. Come Monday morning, he smiles just for her every time he sees her in the hallways and holds the door for her every time he can and Lydia smiles back blushing. Before she knows it she’s longing for the next text she will get from him or the next time she’ll see him or talk to him. And that’s why it hurts so much when she finds out.

Scott and Danny, distracted as they have been with their own crushes, still haven’t told Allison and Jackson what Stiles planned on doing with Lydia. They’re not to blame really; they’ve been trying to dissuade Stiles from doing it every day. It’s been a full week since the party and Stiles seems to be taking things slowly, which is so not like him that the boys figure that maybe Stiles came around and won’t do it. That’s why they look just as shocked as Stiles does when it happens.

Lydia finds out about Stiles’ plan a week after they started texting. It’s lunch break and she was leaving the cafeteria when she overheard a group of boys commenting on how Stiles was about to get her, _her_ , Lydia Martin. How he had it all worked out and that it should be over soon. The boys don’t know that she heard it, they haven’t caught her listening in but she blushes like so, her breathing becoming labored as she feels the need to scream her lungs out. Still, she knows better than to cause a big scene. She won’t run and she won’t yell; she still has her dignity. If Stiles Stilinski can’t help but to be a dick, Lydia Martin will put things in perspective for him.

Walking out of the cafeteria, she wanders through the building until she finds _him_ in one crowded hallway. When she spots him, she starts walking calmly towards Stiles, and on her way she passes Allison and Jackson who call for her to meet them but Lydia is not even listening to them, so they follow her to see where she’s going so determined. Scott and Danny are there, along with a few more of their classmates. Lydia doesn’t say much, instead approaching the group and muttering brief greetings with a smile as she always does.

Stiles’ heart skips a beat when he sees her; it seems to be doing that a lot lately and he can’t really help it. He instantly gets closer to her and smiles down teasingly, everyone’s eyes on them as they seem to be the next power couple that no one is really allowed to talk out loud about yet. “Hey, Martin.” He can’t say he saw it coming, he really can’t. He expected a smile back, maybe her cheeks turning rosy or even a giggle. He definitely did not expect her to slap him.

Lydia puts a lot of the strength that her petite frame has into that blow, everyone in the group and throughout the hallway falling completely silent and attentive of what will happen next. She waits until Stiles looks back at her again, surprise and confusion all across his features, holding his gaze with an expression she’s sure he won’t forget. Then, turning on her heels, Lydia walks away from him, tears menacing to escape as she finds her way to her dorm with her two very numb friends walking close behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

She is Lydia Martin. God knows what she’s been through in her life, so what’s a little heartbreak? Lydia didn’t cry. Pulling Jackson and Allison to an empty classroom instead of going back to her dorm, she told them what happened and that was it. She allowed herself to be comforted by them only enough to make her feel a little better. When she figured she’d be able to walk out of that classroom and face everyone out there, Lydia left, trailed closely by Jackson to find her next class.

Allison, on the other hand, wandered by herself in the hallways until she found _them_. Scott is not sure whether to feel intimidated or turned on by Allison’s fierceness as she walks towards the three of them, determined. The boys even take a step back.

Allison raises one hand because Scott was about to say something and she’d better not hear him say anything right now, or she’ll end up getting mad at him too. “I don’t wanna hear you,” she says, “nor you,” she points at Danny. She takes a step forward until she’s right in front of Stiles and points an accusatory finger at him. “What the fuck was that for?”

Stiles stutters. “A- Ally, it’s not what you think.” He has gotten closer with Allison these past few days and he likes her, so it hurts him that he let her down as well.

“I trusted you, you ass. I actually thought you two had something, how stupid am I?”

His heart falters at the girl’s words. Why does everyone keep seeing that there’s something between him and Lydia? “I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t mean to hurt her. Allison, I would never, but you don’t understand, you don’t know…”

“Cut the crap, Stiles, I don’t need your apologies. You shouldn’t have done that, it was wrong on so many levels… And she’s Lydia. Why would you do that to _her_?”

“I- I don’t know…” But he does. He could have chosen any girl, but maybe, deep down, he just wanted to know how it felt like with the strawberry blonde. Scott and Danny have walked away by now. Face an angry Allison? No, thank you. Stiles sits on one of the nearest benches and Allison follows him, sitting at his side.

“Again, you’re an ass. She has never had anyone and you go and do that to her? What were you even thinking?”

“Wait, what?” He looks at her with wide eyes and it’s like Allison’s color has vanished from her face and she’s completely livid. She shouldn’t have said that. “She never had a boyfriend? Are you serious? Lydia Martin?” he asks, both curious and mortified.

“She has never even kissed anyone, Stiles,” the brunette lets out. Even though it feels like she’s betraying her friend, he should know about this. “Her choice, not anyone else’s. Even if this wasn’t the case, you still shouldn’t have done it. You two seemed like you had a thing going on.” She smacks him in the arm. “Why would you go and ruin it, dumbass?”

“I know I shouldn’t have, okay?” His hands run through his hair nervously. “But it wasn’t a stupid dare or a game, Allison. You don’t know about…”

The bell rings and Allison gets up immediately; she thought they had more time. Her next class is on the other side of the Academy so she’ll have to run. “Listen, I don’t care why you did it. It might have been a good reason or a shitty one, I honestly don’t think I could care less. You have to make this right, Stiles, or you’ll have to deal with me.” Turning around, she leaves.

Stiles doesn’t move right away. Instead, he takes deep breaths and runs his hands through his hair a few times. He screwed up, he knows that. When the hell did everything in his life get so twisted?

He doesn’t move until Scott and Danny get to him and have to urge him to get to class or things might get even worse.

xxxxxxxxxx

He doesn’t see Lydia again until classes are over for the day. Even though his best friends tell him to give it some time, he really can’t. He needs to talk to her and apologize or else he won’t sleep with all that guilt inside of him. His tongue even tastes bitter. Like he has done so many times before, Stiles looks around for her but doesn’t find her. Where the hell does she go every afternoon? He calls Allison.

“It’s me and before you say anything else, Ally, I need to find her. Please tell me where she is.”

She can hear the worry in his voice. The brunette exhales deeply. “She’s in the library. Jackson and I got held back for a project, so you have a few minutes until we get there. You better make it worth it or Jackson is going to kill you if he sees you talking to her.” She hastily hangs up.

Stiles starts running. Why didn’t he think of the library? How stupid of him but why would he, really? It’s not like he studies much. When he gets there, he spots her right away, sitting alone at one of the tables surrounded by her textbooks. The library is mostly empty so he takes his chance. She looks sad and his heart tightens. This is all his fault. As he walks towards her, Lydia notices him and starts gathering her things immediately. Stiles walks faster. He’s out of breath when he reaches her.

“Please, don’t leave. Not because of me,” he pleads. She gives him a glare that makes him shiver. He supports himself on the table, steadying his breathing. “Just hear me out, alright?” She wasn’t gonna say anything, anyway. Lydia lowers her head and directs her attention to her notebook again. “I am so sorry that I was gonna do that to you. I never meant to hurt you, Lydia, I swear.” She doesn’t move and it only makes him more nervous, his skin itching more as he becomes desperate. “Lydia, I- I think I like you.” His voice breaks and she looks up at him. She probably couldn’t look more confused if she tried.

“Are you kidding me? Is this a joke to you?”

“Of course not. Lydia, I- I didn’t know. Allison told me about it. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have…”

She knows her friend told him. The girl apologized to Lydia about it ten times during the afternoon. Lydia cuts him short, her voice harsh. “That is not an excuse, Stiles. And if you think it is, then you’re more of a jerk than I first thought you were.”

He wants to cry. Stiles literally feels the urge to cry because he hurt her and now his life is upside down again. One of his hands moves to his chest and he speaks slowly. “I am so sorry, Lydia. I mean it. If you’re gonna believe in anything that comes out of my mouth, please believe this.”

Lydia is not sure which one of them let a tear slip first. She wipes her own quickly. He continues, now whispering, his voice failing him. “I’ll leave you alone, I just… I just needed you to know.”

Lydia doesn’t know what to say so she doesn’t say anything, nodding almost imperceptibly and going back to her study. Stiles walks away from her but doesn’t leave the library. Instead, he chooses to sit down on the farthest table from her, facing away from Lydia and sinking his head on his hands.

xxxxxxxxxx

After his apology, Stiles takes some time to think. Maybe the guys weren’t wrong. Maybe he can do things differently. And you know what? Fuck his life. Everything is already screwed up anyway. He texts Danny to meet him there and when he does, Stiles gets to work. He takes one of his textbooks out of his backpack and starts studying with Danny’s help, always the smart guy. Danny just stares incredulous at Stiles for a whole minute before realizing he’s being serious while trying to pretend that Lydia isn’t right there and the tension isn’t palpable.

After almost a month, anyone can see that Stiles is different. His attendance record turned pristine, he is handing all of his assignments on time and his grades are improving. He actually started actively participating in class last week and he hasn’t been with a girl since it all happened. His circle of ‘friends’ also shortened drastically, now resuming to people he is actually close with.

Things are still a little weird in the group. He had to apologize to Allison about a hundred times before she let him off the hook and he’s not in great terms with Jackson, who still looks at him sideways. Scott and Danny had a rough time with Allison and Jackson too, but things got better. Lydia… Well, he hasn’t spoken to her again, but every afternoon he stops by the library. He’ll walk past by Lydia, nod at her looking apologetic while blushing and keep walking away to sit on another table to study; it became automatic by now. They’ll sneak glances at each other from time to time, but that’s about it. Sometimes Stiles will study alone, sometimes with Danny and Scott. Twice, he even got to sit at the same table as Lydia with the rest of the group. Sure, he hasn’t shared a word with her since then but he can see the way she’s been looking at him lately, like something’s changed.

He sure can say he’s been looking at her differently too, mostly when she can’t notice him staring. He’s seen how she now uses her hair down almost every day and the way her curls bounce when she walks. How her cheeks are rosy when she has to walk fast to class because she got so absorbed into her reading that she forgot about the time. The way she seems more open with other people now, more confident in her introvert way. Boy, is he in deep.

As for Lydia, she knows that he’s trying to change and she has to admit that he’s doing well. Not that she’s paying him much attention, not blatantly anyway. She can’t, however, bring herself to do something about it. Yes, he apologized, and she might have been inclined to forgive him but the thing is he’s getting on her nerves and she’s not sure why. If he would just stop doing that thing he does, looking at her like he’s broken…

On a Friday afternoon, when she’s in a bad mood (yes, it’s her period, added to a less than stellar grade that she got on one of her assignments – a B, she had a B), she’s done. He did the thing and sat down two tables away from her, his back facing Lydia. He starts scribbling right away and she waits. She waits about five minutes until he looks back to check on Lydia, like she knows he will. When he does, she gets up and walks towards him. He flinches. “How long are you gonna keep this up?”

Stiles babbles. “W- What? I didn’t do anything, I promise.”

“I know. I meant this.” She gestures between them. “I can’t concentrate knowing that you’re sitting here feeling sorry for yourself.”

“I-”

“No. The library was the place I came to have some peace of mind and I’ve been letting you stay here for almost a month and I haven’t said a word about it but this is enough.” She’s not sure if she wants him to leave or to stand up to her and stay, and yes, she might be willing to admit the boy does have an effect on her. But she’s cranky, and she knows she’s being mean but the words are out of her mouth before she can’t stop them. “So why don’t you go and get your wealthy little ass back home so mom and dad can make it better and leave me the hell alone?” She realizes she might have said the wrong thing when Stiles looks at her like he was punched in the face. She tries to take it back but he’s quick to get his things and walk out on her.

On his way out he storms past Scott, who was about to meet him, but he doesn’t stop. Stiles knows it’s not her fault, Lydia doesn’t know. His life is such a mess right now it could turn into a soap opera and he wouldn’t even be surprised. But this whole situation? He can’t blame her. He was the one who started it, it’s his fault, so of course he leaves the library. What’s he supposed to do?

Scott, stunned, seeing that Lydia is standing in the middle of the library looking like a fool, walks towards her and speaks in a hushed tone. “What now?”

xxxxxxxxxx

She told Scott what happened and Scott told her what she should have known before she made such an inappropriate and childish comment. Lydia felt sick and Scott only even told her bits and pieces, just enough for her stomach to clench. She thought about calling Stiles that night, but such an apology couldn’t just be given over the phone, so that’s why she finds herself at 2 pm on Saturday knocking on his front door. She hasn’t really planned on what’s she’s going to say but she hopes he’s alone. She’s not sure what she would do if she had to talk to him while someone else was in the house. He takes his time to open the door for her. When he does, he’s so surprised to see her that he freezes in place.

“Lydia?”

“We need to talk. Can I come in?”


	5. Chapter 5

“Y- Yeah, sure.” Stiles steps aside to let her in.

“I was gonna text you first,” she mutters, her hands in clenched fists because of how edgy she feels, “but I figured that if I did, I’d just come up with an excuse not to see you or that you might say no, so uh… Here I am.” She smiles shyly. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

He closes the door behind them and rubs the back of his neck. “No. I mean, I was gonna do homework but it’s okay. Living room?” he asks.

She nods and Stiles trails behind her, nervous. First of all, he’s feeling incredibly underdressed. Lydia is wearing a somewhat tight purple dress with long sleeves that ends just above her knees and a dark leather jacket; her hair is down again. She looks beautiful and here is Stiles, wearing a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants because he wasn’t supposed to go out or see anyone today. Secondly, she’s wearing perfume, which is not like her and he loves it. The smell is intoxicating him in all the right ways. It’s floral, he thinks. And last but not least, no, he was definitely not expecting her to stop by. With what happened the day before, he thought he’d have to leave her for good and never talk to her again. Stiles lets out a heavy breath.

Lydia takes off her jacket and is about to sit on the couch when Stiles speaks before she can. “Listen, if this is about yesterday, you didn’t have to come here, Lydia. It was my fault.”

“Actually no, it wasn’t. We both did and said things we shouldn’t, so I thought that there was something we needed to do again.” Lydia slowly holds out her hand and Stiles just looks back at her puzzled. “You’re supposed to shake it,” she chuckles. “We kind of got off on the wrong foot from the very beginning, so maybe we should start again?” she suggests, blushing.

Stiles doesn’t move. “Are you sure? Because I think we already established that I’m not a good guy…”

“I’m sure.”

Stiles takes her hand reluctantly the same way Lydia did on her first day at the Academy, letting go as soon as he can and even taking a step back. “I don’t know if this is a good idea. I hurt you, Lydia. I don’t want to do that again.”

Lydia sits down on the couch to leave no room for misinterpretations; she’s not going anywhere. “Then just make sure you don’t and I’ll do the same.”

Stiles is confused. He gets that she probably feels bad for what she said to him but it’s not like she knew. Scott told her about it after, Stiles knows that too, but it should give her more reasons to leave, not to stay. Stiles stands awkwardly in the middle of the room.

“Are you gonna sit? Because I came to talk, Stiles, and I’m not going until we do.” She’s nervous. In fact, Lydia is freaking out probably just as much as he is but they have to make this right. She just knows they have to.

“Right, sorry.” He sits beside her, careful to leave enough space between them for Lydia not to be uncomfortable. He sees it as necessary; she gets annoyed and moves closer.

“Stiles, I’m trying to make amends, okay?”

He worries his lower lip nervously and his eyes search hers attentively, making sure that this is what she wants. She nods encouragingly and he gets a little closer too, turning to face her and relaxing on the couch, crossing his legs under him, his fingers fidgeting on his lap.

Lydia adjusts on her seat too. “Okay, so uh-” she murmurs, pursing her lips, “Stiles, I’m really s-“

“Please don’t apologize, Lydia. You have nothing to be sorry about. It was all me.”

“Stiles…”

“I’m serious. It was all my fault. You don’t have to say that you’re sorry because this is on me, I made this whole mess and…”

She interrupts him. “Either you stop that or I’m leaving and I really don’t want to go.”

“But why?” he asks frustrated. “Why would you want to stay?”

Lydia bites on her lower lip wondering about the exact same thing, her cheeks turning rosy under his gaze. She speaks slowly and in a hushed tone. “I uh… Do you… Do you remember the day I found out about it, about what you wanted to do? You know, when we were in the library?” Stiles lowers his head in guilt, nodding. “You- You said something,” she murmurs.

Stiles blushes too, knowing exactly what she’s talking about. He holds her gaze before parting his lips to whisper “ _’I think I like you’_ ”. His mind drifts to the exact moment he had told her that, all those weeks ago.

Lydia nods and her voice fails her, coming out in a hum. “D- Did you mean that?”

He doesn’t hesitate to answer. “Yes.”

“Do you still think that?”

His cheeks are bright red and there’s a spark in his eyes. He smiles at her, a little embarrassed. “I’m pretty sure it has only heightened since then, so yeah, I guess so.”

Lydia smiles back. “That’s why I’m not leaving.”


	6. Chapter 6

“You’re not a bad guy.”

They are talking mostly in whispers, both a little more relaxed now. They’ve been making small talk for a while and it’s becoming easier to open up to the other. Stiles is mostly just listening to Lydia talk, fascinated that she’s even giving him the attention that he certainly doesn’t deserve. As for Lydia, she’s trying her best to keep her voice steady; Stiles still makes her nervous.

“You can’t say that, Lydia, you don’t know the whole story.”

“Well, Scott told me a little bit. But even before that, after you and I stopped talking, I noticed.”

He looks back at her with a puzzled expression. “Noticed what?”

“I see you, you know?” At her words, they both blush; Lydia because she has never had an intimate conversation like this with a boy before, Stiles because of how exposed he feels to someone who he’s already realizing has some sort of control over him and his emotions that he can’t really define yet. “At first, you’d show off and make yourself look like someone that doesn’t care about things, but you do. That’s exactly why you would show off, because you care about someone. I just didn’t know why you did it.”

“That doesn’t make it right. What I did to you, I mean…” Stiles looks down, embarrassed.

They had gotten closer as the afternoon passed. Because she’s wearing a dress, Stiles got her a blanket that she now has over her lap so that she’s sitting in the same position he is, facing him, her bare legs crossed under her hiding underneath the fabric. By now, their knees are almost touching.

“I get why you did it. Not necessarily with me, but I know the feeling of being pushed to the limit, I guess. We all lash out eventually; everyone just does it differently.” Lydia purses her lips. “And I’m sorry I slapped you. I shouldn’t have done that.”

Stiles shrugs his shoulders. “I deserved that. And I’m actually glad you did.” Lydia looks at him confused. “That’s uh… That’s how I knew I had hurt you. Your eyes, they…” Stiles swallows dryly. “You looked so disappointed. And trust me, I’ve had my share of disappointed looks in my life and it was just… It was different. I knew what I did was wrong and I had to apologize. That’s why I went to find you in the library.”

Her voice comes out hoarse when she asks “But why me?”

“You know I have been with a lot of girls. You’ve probably heard all the rumors by now.” Stiles lowers his head, ashamed. “And I promise I’m not that much of a dick, I just… I like to have a good time and I’ve never disrespected anyone, I swear. But it’s always the same. Why I do it and the girls I pick out… It’s always the damn same. I guess I just wanted something to be different.”

Stiles bites his lower lip nervously and ventures a glance at Lydia, who’s completely red. She tries to lighten the mood a bit. “I’m sorry your plans went wrong. You should have found someone more outgoing…”

Stiles interrupts her. “I am so sorry about that. Like you said before, it is not an excuse for what I did, but I would never have done it if I knew.” He starts rambling. “I just figured, you know, that you being you at least you’d have kissed someone by now, had a few boyfriends. I’d never guess that you’d never... I mean, you are beautiful and smart and so incredibly nice to people. How the hell are you single? What’s even up with that?” Stiles didn’t want to ask it so bluntly but Lydia is making him wonder. She’s looking at him like, somehow, he sees her too. “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer that.”

“It’s okay. I- I don’t know. I never cared much about it. And it’s not like I don’t think about it sometimes or don’t want it. I just… I like doing my own thing, being by myself and do the things I like without much commotion and having to answer to anyone.” Lydia purses her lips. “It’s what I know, how I’ve always done things…”

“Well for what’s worth, you should know someone out there is truly missing out.” He says the words with a shy smile and rosy cheeks and it only makes her insides twitch at the compliment.

Lydia focuses on the main reason for her being there, trying to avoid further embarrassment. She can’t say she dislikes the attention, _his_ attention particularly; she’s just not really used to it. “So, your dad… Is it really that bad, why you do things the way you do? Scott only mentioned things in passing.”

“Did he tell you about my mom?”

Lydia shakes her head. “No, just that it was complicated.”

“My mom has paranoid schizophrenia. She was diagnosed a few years ago and she’s been at Eichen House since then. You probably heard of it, the mental health facility just outside of town.” Lydia nods. “She could be out with the right treatment, but my dad doesn’t want to and neither does she, even if for different reasons. My mom fears for our safety, you know? So she’d rather stay there, where she’s supervised and has access to all the medication and therapy she needs. I sneak out sometimes to visit her on the weekends.”

Lydia is listening attentively. “And your dad?”

“He flipped when he found out. And I get that it was bad before she was diagnosed. It was, I saw it too, but he just couldn’t handle it. I was twelve at the time and he just couldn’t deal with a sick wife and didn’t know what to do with a teenage son on his own. I can understand it was hard on him – he’d had to endure some relative’s illnesses when he was younger and maybe it was some sort of trigger, I guess - but it was hard on me and my mom too. I was a kid and things got out of control really quick. In a matter of months, I couldn’t see my mom and my dad wouldn’t talk to me. He ended up sending me to a boarding school in LA. I stayed there until about a year ago. I think at some point my dad regretted sending me away. One time I called him and he implied that if I misbehaved, he’d get my ass back home. The next few conversations always hinted at that, so I took advantage of it.”

“So uh… The rumor about you sleeping with a teacher…”

“Yes. Not a rumor. She was just a TA and her dad got her the job. She loathed him and she wanted out, so we killed two birds with one stone. We were careful to get caught only by the Principal. He was an old friend of my dad so, as a favor, I was kicked out without much punishment from the school. On paper it was just a transference. Same happened to her. Her dad was extremely influential there and last I heard about it, I found out there was a very generous donation to the school. Anonymous, of course. It was also in their interest to keep it quiet, so it worked out.” To Stiles, Lydia almost looks a little disappointed. “I get that it gives me a reputation and people don’t see me for who I really am. I’m not proud of it but I don’t regret what I did either. It got me here, closer to my mom and even my dad, albeit just geographically. I can’t be sorry about that.”

Lydia nods slowly, acknowledging the situation. “So you came back.”

“Yes. Still, I have to say that things at home haven’t changed much. My dad still doesn’t want me to see my mom, he’ll lash out at me more often than not and everything I do is just not right. I think it might be his way of dealing with things, but I don’t really know. He’s always mad at me for some reason and disappointed in everything that I do, he’ll tell me constantly that he has to keep me around because I always cause trouble. That’s why…”

“That’s why you do cause trouble,” she whispers, understanding his reality more clearly now.

Stiles nods. “Nothing much, just enough to keep my reputation going. I’m afraid that if I don’t, he’ll send me away again,” he murmurs.

Lydia takes his hands in hers and squeezes them softly, smiling to comfort him. “Have you tried talking to him?”

Stiles takes in a deep breath, as if clearing his head. “I wouldn’t know what to say and I don’t want to bring it up. I can easily live with him always being mad at me if it means I get to stay here.”

“But that’s just not right, Stiles. You know it’s not.”

“I know. But you should see my mother’s smile when I go see her.” Stiles’ smile is genuine, bright. “That’s all I want, for her to be happy. As long as she’s happy, I’ll be okay.”

Absently, Lydia entwines her fingers with his and smiles too, pink covering her cheeks. “We’ll think of something.” And just like that, Stiles feels reassured, like she actually means what she says and they’ll figure something out together. His heart starts beating faster before he knows it.

He’s about to say something when he hears the distinct, even if faint, sound of familiar tires on his driveway. Panicking, Stiles quickly lets go of Lydia’s hands and sits straighter. “Shit.”

Lydia looks confused. “What?”

“My dad. I think my dad’s coming.” He checks the time on his phone. “He wasn’t supposed to be home for like two more hours.” Stiles gets up from the couch, nervous. “Lydia, you should go.”

“Stiles, it’s okay.” She gets up too.

“I never know with him. Sometimes, even with Scott or Danny, he’ll say something he shouldn’t. I- I really think you should go.”

Lydia notices his anxious state and reaches for his hands again, getting a little closer to him. “Stiles, it’ll be fine, alright?”

He shakes his head vigorously. “I don’t know that. Lydia, please…”

She snaps him out of his reverie, analyzing the situation. “Stiles, what does your father do?”

He narrows his eyes at her. Why would she even be asking such a question right now? He hears the car door being shut. “Wha-”

She insists. “What does he do?”

“He uh… He’s an accountant. One of the best in the County. Why?”

If it’s something that Lydia had learned to deal with in her life is how power influences the way other people see you. Her parents, although unintentionally, taught her that. If Stiles’ dad is well known in the County then her plan might just work. Thankfully, Lydia is a quick-thinker and she’s already forming a plan but Stiles might ruin it, freaked out as he is.

Her hands let go of his to cup his cheeks. “Stiles, look at me.” He reluctantly glances down at her, breathing heavily. “Just relax, it’ll be fine.”

Stiles shakes his head in disagreement. “No, you shouldn’t be here…”

Unless she steps in and takes control soon, Stiles won’t probably be much help so Lydia moves even closer, their chests almost touching. They both hear the key unlocking the front door. “Just follow my lead,” she orders, trying to get him to focus.

“What?” Stiles doesn’t have time to register the mood his father is in as he enters the house nor to question Lydia what she’s trying to do. He doesn’t register anything except that Lydia is on her tiptoes, pulling him down to press her lips against his.


	7. Chapter 7

For a moment Lydia and Stiles forget that his dad was about to come into the house. They are chest to chest when they break the kiss and Stiles’ forehead meets Lydia’s as they breathe each other’s air. He’s about to crash his lips on hers again, his hands leaving her waist to cup her cheeks to delve into another kiss, when they jump apart at the sound of someone clearing their throat.

Stiles looks genuinely surprised, like he wasn’t even expecting someone to interrupt them. “D- Dad…”

On the other hand, Lydia focuses on playing her cards and smiles shyly at the man – even if in her mind she’s trying to overcome, and not very successfully, the fact that she just kissed someone for the first time and has to be bright red. “Oh, sorry,” she giggles, moving slightly so that she’s standing beside Stiles. She fights the urge to take his hand.

The man doesn’t even let her say anything else and looks at his son, disappointment all across his face. It’s not like it really matters; Stiles has learned to take care of himself way before he had too. And it’s not like the man wants to start a quarrel, but it’s how he learned to deal with things. It’s what he knows. “Really, Stiles? Another one?”

Stiles is used to it by now. It’s the same look, the same condescending tone his dad gives him every time he finds out that the boy did something he shouldn’t. Stiles lowers his head to escape the man’s gaze, obviously embarrassed, wishing that Lydia wouldn’t be there to witness this.

Stiles is about to speak to defend her but Lydia interrupts him. She doesn’t let herself be fazed by the man’s words. “Actually no, not _another one_.” She tries to hold back a bitter tone; she’s trying to get on the man’s good side so it wouldn’t do her any good to start some sort of argument. Gathering strength to walk up to Stiles’ dad, she smiles warmly at him and holds out her hand. “I’m Lydia, Lydia Martin. It’s nice to meet you.”

The man almost steps back at the girl’s confrontation. It’s the first time a friend of Stiles actually reacted at his comments and he’s not sure what to do with that. And there’s something about the girl that rings a bell. He tilts his head to the side like he’s trying to place her.

Lydia actually gets that a lot. She looks just like her mother did when she was her age, only her mom’s hair was shorter. “You probably knew my mom,” she offers, noticing his confusion. “Natalie Martin. She and my dad grew up here. We moved to San Francisco when I was three.”

The man’s eyes widen in recognition. “Oh, from the Martin & Associates? You’re their daughter.”

And just like that Lydia is sold to the man. It happens every time she says who her parents are. They grew up in Beacon Hills and it’s where they started their stellar career so they are well known throughout the State of California. Being the most influent members of a lawyer’s office may have its perks even if Lydia doesn’t like it one bit. “Yes.”

He knew she looked familiar. The man finally takes her hand and shakes it. “I remember Natalie. You look a lot like her, except…”

“For the hair, yes.” She smiles again.

The man lets go of Lydia’s hand quickly to rub the back of his neck, ashamed. The girl seems nice and he sounded like an ass, he’s aware. “I’m sorry about that. I came on too strong. Didn’t mean to be so blunt. I’m John, John Stilinski.”

“Pleasure,” she says, taking back her place beside Stiles, who seems incapable of letting out a word. “Stiles has told me a lot about you,” she tries. If she can help the man make amends with his son, why not?

“Oh?” Yeah, John wasn’t expecting to hear that.

“All good things, don’t worry.”

The man looks back and forth from Lydia to Stiles like there isn’t even a remote possibility that his son would say nice things about him. A small smile threatens to escape his lips, one that Stiles notices and hasn’t seen in a long time, one that Lydia is proud of getting out of the man. John’s voice comes out hoarse. “Really?”

Stiles and his wandering mind seem to be somewhere else and Lydia feels the need to ground him, so she takes his hand. Stiles looks down, hesitant. “I uh-” He takes a deep breath. “Yeah, I mean… Lydia wanted to know about you.” Stiles is not sure what she’s doing but he tries to go along with it. He entwines his fingers with hers like his life depends on her touch, directing a shy smile at Lydia.

His dad is taken aback. Why would Stiles even say good things about him? He’s been nothing but a bad parent. “I-” The man purses his lips, lacking words. He almost hopes that his son is somehow able to give him a chance to redeem himself; god knows how many demons they’ve been fighting all of their lives. If John can make things right with his son, he has to try. Lydia nods quite imperceptibly at the man, almost as if she’s reading his mind. He gives her a small smile; she seems to be looking out for his son. “Would you uh… Would you like to stay for dinner, Lydia?”

It didn’t go unnoticed to the girl the spark that lit the man’s eyes for a moment, even if faint. If Stiles saw it too, he hid it well on his features, but he still squeezed Lydia’s hand. In return, she boldly – at least for her – started to move her thumb in circles on the back of his hand, trying to soothe his nerves. “Maybe some other time. Stiles was about to take me out.” Stiles looks down at her in surprise and she has to hide a smile. Her cheeks turn rosy and, leaning slightly in Stiles’ direction, she faces his dad again. “If that’s okay with you, of course.” The man just nods, speechless. “But another day, definitely.”

The man gives her what Lydia could only describe as a grin; if there’s hope for better days, John will take it. Lydia feels Stiles relax his grip on her hand instantly just as his dad lets out a breath. “I’d love to have you over for dinner sometime, Lydia. I uh- I’ll leave you two. Sorry for uh… Interrupting…” John blushes as he starts walking away, nodding in their direction, looking first at Stiles and then at Lydia with a small smile adorning his lips. “Don’t be a stranger.”

Alone again, Stiles lets go of Lydia’s hand reluctantly and, much like his dad, rubs the back of his neck. “So, that was…”

“Yeah…” Okay, so maybe Lydia had a good plan but didn’t really think of the aftermath. _Great_. She blushes.

Stiles looks up pensive and stays quiet for a few seconds. “I don’t think I can come up with a fitting adjective for it,” he murmurs, letting out a chuckle.

Lydia can’t help it and laughs too. “Well, it wasn’t that bad…”

He smiles fondly, warmth creeping up his cheeks. “No, it wasn’t. Thank you.”

If he had added a wink in there, Lydia would have probably melted right where she’s standing. A playful smile on her lips, she makes an effort to get out of her comfort zone. God knows she wants to. “So, are you gonna take me out or what?”


	8. Chapter 8

After taking five minutes to change clothes, Stiles takes Lydia to a diner down the street. It’s the middle of the afternoon so they order smoothies that Stiles pays for, not before Lydia argues a bit about how they should split the bill and Stiles admits that he just wants to do a nice thing for her. Lydia ends up letting him.

They have been exchanging nervous glances and trying to hide their smiles ever since they left his house because their situation is new to both of them. Lydia had never kissed anyone before so she doesn’t really know what to do now. Same goes for Stiles, who had never kissed anyone who he likes before. Like really, _really_ likes.

They’re sitting on a booth and have been for a few minutes, making small talk and savoring their beverages, until Stiles brings up the subject.

“Was that some sort of a plan back there?” he asks timidly, playing with his straw.

Lydia blushes. “I uh… Sort of, I guess.”

Noticing that she might be a little uncomfortable, he decides to leave the kiss to be discussed later. “I didn’t know you were from Beacon Hills.”

“Yeah. It’s the first I’ve been here since me and my family moved. Like I said, I was three when my parents’ career really started to take off and it was going great for them so they decided to move to San Francisco. There were far better opportunities for them over there, so…”

“Why did you come back then? Did something happen with their jobs?” He’s interested in finding out more about her, he can’t deny that, but he’s also trying to divert the topic; the fact that she kissed him is still way too fresh in his mind.

“No. It’s going great actually. They’re still there, in San Francisco.”

Stiles looks confused. “Then who are you here with then?”

“My grandma. Kind of. It’s a long story.”

Stiles smiles at her and raises an eyebrow. “Now that’s not fair. I showed you mine…”

Lydia purses her lips in a small smile. “And I kind of forced you into it. Sorry.”

“I’m glad you did.” He gives her a crooked smile that has Lydia almost swooning. _Almost_. “I mean, I hadn’t had a conversation with my dad that wasn’t purely shouting in two years, so thank you.”

“I’m just happy I could help. I think there’s a lot of miscommunication between you two but I don’t want to get in the middle of it. Just try and talk to him next time,” she offers, smiling reassuringly.

Stiles nods. “Okay, getting off topic here,” he chuckles. “So, your grandma…”

“Right. Hmm… My parents and I, we made an agreement. I asked them to arrange for me to transfer here because I didn’t feel much like myself over there. I was in a boarding school much like BH Academy, you know, but in San Francisco I’m not me. People tend to recognize me in a way I don’t want them to. I would never make it there, so I asked my parents if I could stay with my grandma. She lives here, always has. I just prefer to stay at the Academy to not give her any trouble. I visit her on the weekends sometimes.”

She pauses briefly, pursing her lips before continuing. “I’m not close with my parents. And don’t get me wrong, it’s nothing like your situation. We get along just fine. They just don’t have much time for me. If I’m lucky, I get to see both of them like twice a week and rarely at the same time. Their job is really demanding and I get that. I just wish I could see them more often.” She pouts briefly and Stiles sits straighter on his chair, debating if he should grab her hand to comfort her or not, but soon Lydia is talking again. “Anyway, it’s not just that. I’m known everywhere as the Martin’s daughter, not as a seventeen year-old girl who has a brilliant future ahead of her, who’s literally a genius and will do great someday. I was fifteen and I was already receiving job offers from some top level companiesand being advised to _choose carefully_ because some would look better on paper than others. No one even asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up.” She sighs.

“And what do you want to do?”

The question takes her by surprise because she really expects no one to care about it. “I uh…”

“Wait, let me guess. Something to do with mathematics, right?” Seeing the astonished look on her face, Stiles continues, excited. “You’re always carrying these big books around. And maybe you don’t notice, but you always play with your pen between your fingers when you’re reading them and you get this look when you’re solving formulas, like you’re super focused but you also look incredibly pleased, happy even, like you’re having fun. I don’t know...”

Lydia stutters. “How… H- How did you know that?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “You know what you said to me before, that you see me?” She nods. “Well, I guess I see you too. You’re crazy smart and have like the best grades I have ever seen. You’ll eventually go off and write some insane mathematical theorem that wins you the Nobel Prize, I’m sure of it.”

A heartfelt smile shows on her features and heat creeps up her cheeks. “Fields Medal.”

“What?”

“Nobel has no prize for mathematics.” Lydia smiles wide. “The Fields Medal is the one I’ll be winning.”

xxxxxxxxxx

They’ve been wandering through the city park for over ten minutes. Lydia had never visited it, it was on their way back to the Academy so that Stiles could drop Lydia off and the way the sun, now low in the sky, is mirroring in the small lake is breathtaking, so they sit in a bench just looking at it. Well, at least Lydia is. Stiles is looking at the way the auburn sun makes her hair look like fire, and he stares at her for so long that eventually she notices, and even if she’s pretending not to, her cheeks give her away, suddenly turning pink. Stiles hasn’t probably ever seen her more beautiful, or anyone else really. Biting his lip, he can’t wait anymore.

Blushing himself and giving her a shy smile, he whispers. “So, about that kiss…”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know it's been a long time since I last updated but lately I haven't had much free time :/ Piece of advice: check the previous chapter just to make sure you know where we’re at in the story, since I have 11 Stydia fics to update at the moment and for those of you who actually follow most (or all) of them, it’s a good way to refresh your memory.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter and please take a look at my notes at the end! Have a great weekend ^^

“ _So, about that kiss…_ ”

The words linger in her mind for a bit as Lydia focuses on the endearing way Stiles said them in. She grins, still looking at the lake and letting out a chuckle, her cheeks turning as red as they probably can. “I was wondering how long it would take you to ask,” she admits, tilting her head in his direction and glancing at him. “It’s been eating away at you all afternoon, hasn’t it?”

Stiles frowns, briefly offended by the assumption and maybe a little scared that Lydia does not believe he’s changed after all. “I don’t know why you’d think that.”

Lydia smiles bright in reassurance. “I’m kidding. I mean, I’m not but yeah... I guess I figured you’d be thinking about it.” She holds his gaze for a second too long before returning hers to the lake. “At least I am…” she murmurs.

He swallows. Stiles can practically feel his heartbeat in his ears. “Lydia?” He waits until she looks at him again and when she does, Stiles smiles. “You, this unattainable girl, came to my house, forgave me for what I’ve done, spent the afternoon with me extolling my virtues and talking about my life and yours when you probably had something better to do, helped me with my dad and kissed me out of the blue. How the hell am I supposed to not be thinking about it?”

“I had to do something. Your dad was coming and you were freaking out,” she offers as some sort of an excuse for her actions, amused, expecting him to roll his eyes. He does. “Well, you were,” she states matter-of-factly.

“You could have just, you know, gone with your plan and talked to my dad. I’m sure he’d still be convinced without…”

“But he wouldn’t be as convinced,” she interrupts. “If I had tried to help you without some sort of deeper connection between us, he’d probably be wondering who the hell I was to be prying into your lives like that...”

“And what does that make you then?”

“According to you, unattainable,” she says mischievously. “Why would you say that, anyway?” she asks, genuinely curious. This might be her very first attempt at flirting with someone and if she’s being honest, she’s having fun with it even if she doesn’t know how well (or not) she’s faring.

“Because it’s the truth.”

Lydia gives him a glare. Funny how she’s the inexperienced one and Stiles is the one who seems to be nervous about opening up. “Why would it be the truth, Stiles?”

“I don’t know. It just is,” he mumbles, shrugging his shoulders. He exhales discreetly as to not catch her attention. “At least it’s how I see it…”

“I don’t get it…” she admits, whispering.

Stiles sighs. “You are the most beautiful, smartest, kindest girl I’ve ever met in my life. Well, aside from my mom anyway,” he mumbles, blushing hard. “And even after what I did to you, you’re still here, which is something I’m failing to comprehend if I’m being honest. I mean, why are you here?”

‘ _Lydia, I- I think I like you._ ’ The words echo in her mind like they have been doing ever since he said them out loud all those weeks ago. “I thought I told you before.”

“If this is about what I said back in the library, it doesn’t explain why you’re here, Lydia. It explains why _I_ am,” he says, holding her gaze.

“You said ‘ _I think I like you_ ’. No one has ever said that to me before, okay? And now that I know that you are not who most people think you are… I don’t know, Stiles. Color me intrigued,” she offers, shrugging her shoulders and pursing her lips in a small smile.

_Fuck_. “Lydia, trust me when I say that that was _exactly_ what I wanted to hear but I don’t want to ruin things for you.”

She frowns. “What do you mean?”

“I already stole your first kiss, and I can only imagine what it would do to your image being seen in the same group of friends as me. You’re having such good grades and you’re doing so well in the Academy, I don’t want to mess with that. And I… I don’t think it’s fair. I hurt you,” he states guiltily.

“You’re not _that_ much of a bad influence, Stiles,” she mocks, a little nervous. Lydia stirs in her seat and turns to face him, tucking her hair behind her ears. “I haven’t done this before, alright? I haven’t dated, I haven’t thought of someone specifically in that sense until now.” She blushes. “But that doesn’t mean I’m a prude, Stiles. I’m seventeen. I haven’t kissed anyone until today because I haven’t felt that way about anyone before. But I’m neither blind nor clueless; I research, I know things, just only in theory. I have urges just like any other teenager my age. I just chose to ignore them. But now… Now I’m not so sure I don’t want it, the whole thing, you know?” She pauses. “And _you_ didn’t do anything. _I_ kissed you and I wanted to do it. Maybe I’ve been wanting it for a while, I just… I probably should have done it some other way but it’s not like I know what I’m doing really…”

Lydia fidgets nervously on her lap and Stiles smiles at her little admission. He lets out one of his own. “You are different from the others, you know? You were, right from the beginning. And I wasn’t sure what to make of it or what it meant. In all honesty, I still don’t. And then there’s the whole thing with my dad… It freaked me out, all of it. I’ve never met anyone quite like you before, Lydia Martin, and there was something - there _is_ something - that just has me in awe, like suddenly I can only look at you without knowing what to do and I’m not used to that.”

“I think I get it,” she murmurs. They stay quiet for a moment as they enjoy the view. “Look Stiles, you and I still have a long way to go. We started out not so great but we got to know each other a bit before I found out about… Well, it doesn’t matter, what’s done is done.” Lydia breathes out slowly a little nervous at the – more than obvious - confession. “I want more. I want us to have the chance to start over.” She sees the hesitant look in his eyes. “And before you ask, yes, I’m sure.”

Stiles holds her gaze until they’re both blushing hard and purses his lips, trying and failing to hide a smile. He nods in agreement. “Good, me too. And what does that mean for us, then?”

Lydia breaks into a grin and hides behind her hair slightly. “I don’t know yet, but I’d like to find out.”

Stiles can’t help but to grin too. “And what about the kiss?”

Her voice fails her a bit. “What about it?”

“Well, was it okay?” Never in his life did Stiles think he’d have to ask a girl if a kiss was okay. He’s Stiles Stilinski, he knows he’s good, okay? And even if their kiss was a mere graze of lips, he finds himself doubting his own skills. That’s what Lydia Martin does to him. “I mean, it was your first and…”

“Stop saying it like it’s a big deal, Stiles,” she chuckles, but then it hits her. “Unless… God, it wasn’t bad, was it?” Stiles watches her features has she frowns quickly, panic striking her. “I- I know it was just lips on lips and I didn’t move mine much but… Oh god.”

Stiles tries his best not to laugh. “Lydia, I doubt having your lips on mine will ever be a bad thing.” He gives her a reassuring smile and doesn’t look away until she smiles back. “Practice makes perfect.” _Well, that wasn’t cliché at all_. “You have very nice lips to kiss,” he says nonchalantly, blushing again.

Lydia licks her lips involuntarily, her cheeks turning rosy under his warm gaze. “I uh-”

“It’s a compliment, Lydia. Take it.”

He knows it’s something she’s used to hear but Lydia always refrains from accepting compliments, like for some reason she’s not worthy of them. And it’s something they had talked about during the time between the party at his house and the day they stopped talking over a month ago, and in that time he always encouraged her to accept them, to speak her mind more about them if she felt like it. That’s just one of the many reasons why she feels infatuated with him. Lydia clears her throat. “Thank you. Yours aren’t so bad either,” she offers.

Stiles smirks. “I know.”

Lydia rolls her eyes. “And there’s the idiot that I knew would come out eventually to nag my patience,” she remarks playfully.

He laughs. “As much as I’d like to annoy you to death, it’s getting late. But some other time for sure,” Stiles grins and raises an eyebrow, making Lydia roll her eyes again and right after let out a chuckle. Getting up, Stiles holds out his hand and she takes it. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As probably most of you know, there are 11 multi-chapter Stydia fics I need to update and trust me, I'm doing my best to get back on track. I'll be working on them over the weekend and whenever I can after that, along with my TW rewatch to make sure I’m all up to date for when S5 premieres! 6 weeks, guys, 6 weeks :D
> 
> The chapters will be posted by the date they were last updated, so next up is “Anything”. I have all of my fics drafted and I know where I'm going with them, but you can always leave me suggestions or ideas for any of my fics. If there’s something specific you'd like to see in one of them, let me know and I'll see if I can make it work.
> 
> Also, please review or leave a comment. It means the world to me :) and thank you so much for your patience and support. You guys are everything! *-*


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here, have 11k! This is the longest chapter I’ve ever written!
> 
> There’s a time jump of about a month and the dynamics within the group have changed. Stiles and Lydia have grown closer in the meantime but haven't acted on their feelings towards each other just yet. All the different parts in this chapter take place in the same day, the Saturday before Christmas.
> 
> The chapter is mostly from Stiles’ POV, and it's Stydia and Sciles-centric but Allison is there as well - she won't say much throughout the chapter but I'm ending it with a little bit of Allydia. You'll see Stiles struggle the most but you'll also get a glimpse of how Lydia feels. The next chapter I’ll post will be mostly from Lydia's point of view and the whole group will be there. Expect for things to heat up.
> 
> I posted a PSA on my tumblr that you should take a look at (/tagged/psa). I’m you-make-me-wander over there and @youmakemewander on twitter. Have a nice weekend.

Never, in his almost 18 years of life, has Stiles Stilinski gone out with a girl purely for the fun of it and for it not to end up in a make out session or sex, let alone almost being dragged to a double date.

Well no, not a double date _per se_. Stiles is not dating, Scott is. And this whole going out thing was far from acceptable by the late Stiles Stilinski’s standards but, as he admits now, not so much by the new Stiles Stilinski’s ones. He hadn’t been too excited about it, mostly afraid of not knowing what to expect but Scott and Allison had been adamantly trying to arrange a group outing for days and Stiles had no option left but to tag along, and the same went for Lydia. Jackson and Danny, giving the rocky nature of their on and off friendship/relationship and because they’re now on an off state, had been smarter and saved themselves the awkwardness of the situation by pretending that their parents needed them home on this Saturday afternoon. Stiles is starting to think that he should have done the same thing.

In a month everything had changed within the group. Everyone was getting along great now, Stiles and Lydia’s previous quarrel forgiven and mostly forgotten. Stiles had gotten closer with Allison, who he can almost consider a sister. A sister who’s dating his best friend/brother but well… Jackson had also accepted Stiles into their little group, even though he’s still fairly protective of Lydia. In all honesty, Stiles is not sure if he dreads Jackson or Allison more when it comes to even thinking about making a move towards the strawberry blonde. The girls had also become closer with Danny and Scott and so the six of them were the new clique in the Academy now, the difference being that their group was far closer and more private in comparison to the group of acquaintances the golden trio usually hung out with before.

Stiles and Lydia… Honestly, he’s not sure. Things are great, or as great as things can be between two friends. He’s loving every minute of it; of her attention, of her care, of her companionship, of her love. _Platonic_ love, of course, but Stiles can’t really complain on her part. She gave him a second chance and he’s been redeeming himself every day because of it. And he’s grateful. He’s so, so grateful because Lydia might be the most genuine and loving person he’s ever met – aside from his mom, of course – and he didn’t know he needed someone like her in his life so bad until just recently. She grounds him, complements him in ways he never expected and he loves it. And the problem is that he wants more of it.

Ever since they kissed that one day, Stiles hasn’t been able to forget the memory of how her lips felt on his, and so now he finds himself staring at her mouth often or at her eyes when she’s not looking at him, or at everything Lydia really as long as she’s not noticing. At times, he’s not even that subtle. And now, for the first time, Stiles struggles constantly with the urge to take her hand or sit beside her every time that they’re together, talk to her and only her, listen to her talking or watching her study for an hour if he can, open doors for her or any other small gesture characteristic of someone who’s infatuated. And as much as he doesn’t like to admit it out loud, yes. Stiles Stilinski has a crush on Lydia Martin and he hates not knowing what to do. He’s losing it.

Stiles groans loudly. In fact, he groans loud enough that the girls, who are a few feet away from them and inside the dressing rooms, can still hear him and end up giggling at his exasperation. He runs his hands through his face fiercely, then through his hair, leaving it more of a mess than it usually is. “Scooooott!” he whines.

Scott just chuckles beside him. “What, buddy?”

Stiles stirs on his seat, trying to find a more comfortable position on the armchair that he’s been on for ages now. “Remind me again why we’ve been sitting here for the last half hour.”

“Because,” Scott grins, “we are waiting for our girlfriends while they’re shopping. It’s what we guys do,” he educates his best friend. Stiles doesn’t even answer to that; ever since Scott started dating Allison, he likes to think that he’s an expert in relationships. Stiles hates it.

Both boys watch mesmerized as Allison and Lydia suddenly come out of their dressing rooms in yet another change of clothes - looking like the rulers of the world once again - and make their way to the end of the hallway to take advantage of the giant mirror on the opposite wall from where the boys are. The girls don’t even look at them, they just do their thing. Allison bends down to check the – very, very short if Stiles were to be asked – length of Lydia’s dress and Lydia makes sure that Allison knows that her cleavage might be just a little too revealing. Hairs are played with in exploratory looks, then moved over one shoulder and exposing forbidden skin as the girls check each other out and laugh, utterly amused and distracted. Then they return to their dressing rooms again for what feels like the hundredth time that afternoon, quick smiles teasingly sent in the boys' direction.

“That is a freaking sin,” Stiles mutters as soon as the girls are out of their sight. "And torture. It’s fucking torture, Scott. Why the hell would they just show off like that?" He lets out a frustrated sigh. "And Lydia _is not_ my girlfriend." And _not his girlfriend_ looks like fucking Aphrodite today. Just his luck.

Scott glares at him. "Lydia is a friend of yours who happens to be a girl, so technically _she is_ your girlfriend.” Scott tries – and fails miserably – to hide a knowing smile at the scowl Stiles gives him. He continues. “They do that because they're giving us permission to check them out freely. And we,” Scott gestures between them, “are here to make sure that no one else aside from us gets to have that view." He’s got a point, so Stiles nods in acknowledgement. The girls did look good and dammit, did the boys like to watch them. "Besides, dressing rooms are fun," Scott adds with a smug smile and a suggestive raise of eyebrows.

"What are you talking about?" Stiles asks, suspicious. Then he sees the smirk that Scott’s wearing. "WHAT? Are you kidding me?" He lowers his tone to a hum. “Did you and Allison-”

Scott punches his best friend in the shoulder as if Stiles had said a blasfemy. “Of course not, you pervert. We’ve barely been dating for a month. Do you think we’d already be having sex in public? Come on…”

Stiles blushes. It’s funny how much the dynamic of their brotherhood changed since they started hanging out with the girls, or in Danny’s case, Jackson. What before was a somewhat form of pride now constantly has the boys rethinking their actions. If only they could erase their past… “Like it would be news. You’ve done it before, Scott.”

Scott concedes. “Well yes, but not with Allison. What I was trying to say is that changing rooms are great for making out and to keep the romance going, you know? Girls like it. Or at least Allison does.”

“I swear to god all you do is talk about Allison these days,” Stiles mumbles, lowering his gaze to his lap.

Scott chuckles. “Hey, you only talk about Lydia.”

Stiles flails his arms exaggeratedly. “Shhh. Shout it to the wind, will you? I don’t think she heard you,” he mutters sarcastically, his cheeks bright red.

“I can speak louder, sure,” Scott teases his best friend, raising his tone a bit and earning a few more giggles from the girls, who assume that they’re bickering. He returns to a murmur. “And like she doesn’t know anyway. Stiles, Lydia is anything but innocent.”

And doesn’t Stiles know it. He was already aware that Lydia is smart, insanely smart and that’s just another thing he likes about her. But what he doesn’t like as much is that it means that Lydia catches up fairly quickly and now Stiles is the victim when she practices the flawless art of shamelessly flirting with him, and not the other way around. And flawless because she does it so well that 1) no one would ever say that she has never been with anyone, 2) she’s been looking like a freaking goddess every day since she started paying a bit more attention to her image – not that she didn’t already but still -, and 3) Stiles is mostly rendered speechless at her ministrations, gawking and blushing embarrassingly hard and mostly losing his breath every damn time. It’s like he isn’t the old Stiles Stilinski anymore. Sometimes, when he feels a little bolder, Stiles answers back and banter ensues effortlessly between them, but then Lydia will (maybe not so) unintentionally come too close and Stiles can’t rearrange his thoughts and that’s that. God, he hates her.

A male employee, one that Stiles has aptly been calling Hercules in his own head due to the you man’s incredible physique – and no, Stiles is not the least bit jealous - walks past them to make sure that everything is okay, open a few curtains on the dressing rooms that are not being occupied and retrieve some hangers. An older woman comes in as well, making her way to one of the cubicles with a few items of clothes in her arms. Scott continues. “Remind me again why you two are not together anyway.”

It’s simple, really. Simply complicated. Lydia is testing the waters, for the first time in her life interested in flirting and teasing, along with getting away from her comfort zone a bit. Ever since she got to the Academy and after their whole quarrel thing, Lydia has now more friends and is a little more outgoing and social. It’s been good for her. And she flirts with Stiles and no one else because she’s comfortable with him now, and she’s really not interested in anyone at the moment as far as he’s aware. She trusts him to tell her if there’s something she’s doing wrong or if something is too much. He sees it, how amusing she finds the whole situation; she’s having a great time and he’d never deny her that. The problem is that, with it, she’s dragging Stiles along like if he’s enchanted by her, and there’s nothing he can (or wants to) do to stop it.

Stiles knows that if Lydia were to ever want to kiss him again – and god, he wants it so, so bad that it’s not even funny anymore -, he’d still probably hold back. Yes, she gave him a second chance and he took it, but only to be her friend. First, she probably doesn’t even want to; if she did, she would have implied it by now. Second, he’s still not too keen on the idea of dating but only because he never did before; if he’s being honest with himself, Lydia might just be the exception to the rule. Then there’s, of course, the issues with his dad even though Lydia has been helping him plenty with that lately. And fourth, the last thing he’d ever want to do would be to hurt her again. In the remote possibility that Lydia would want him back, he’d be giving her a reputation. He’s never regretted his past as much as he does now. “We’re just friends, Scott,” Stiles sighs.

If Scott didn’t know better, he’d say Stiles seems disappointment. He places a hand on his best friend’s shoulder and squeezes lightly. “You two, you’re pretty good together. You know her, you pay attention, you listen to her. And it’s more than she has ever had, Stiles, and she knows that. She wants you, dude. Anyone can see that.”

“Scott-“

“Stiles, she’s putting herself out there. Why aren’t you?”

Stiles doesn’t answer, too many _if_ ’s, too many hypothetical scenarios that he doesn’t want to see play out ghosting his thoughts. Scott doesn’t say anything either but keeps his hand on Stiles’ shoulder. Stiles is only brought out of his reverie when, a few moments later, the strawberry blonde’s voice echoes through the room.

“Allison!”

“What?” the brunette asks.

“I need you. My zipper is stuck,” Lydia complains.

Allison huffs from the other dressing room, struggling with the intricate straps of a new dress herself. “I can’t, I’m naked,” she mutters in distress, annoyed that the damned dress won’t come out of its hanger.

At that, the boys’ attention drifts immediately in the direction of where the girls are, and they can’t help but to notice that the employee is looking there as well, probably enticed by Allison’s words. Before either boy does anything, Lydia shyly moves the curtain from her dressing room away just enough to peek out and look at her friends, strawberry blonde locks cascading down her bare shoulder to the side. “Can one of you give me a hand, please?”

They don’t even have time to answer and the guy, Hercules, who is a few feet away from the girls as well, is already moving. “Can I help, miss?” he asks politely, giving Lydia such a white-teethed grin that Stiles can see her blush from where he’s at.

Scott nudges Stiles to make a move and while he’s indecisive, Lydia catches his gaze. She nods in his direction; to what, he doesn’t know. Stiles gets up quickly as to get to Lydia before Hercules does, stumbling twice on his way to her. The god there notices that Stiles is trying to take his place and walks faster, determined to get his hands on the strawberry blonde before Stiles does. _As if_. “I got it,” Stiles says confidently, his tone too strange on his tongue. He’s not sure when the last time he sounded so self-assured in his actions was.

Lydia replies with a small “Thank you” and the employee is left with no choice but to leave them to it. Stiles feels stupidly proud of himself for that. He shouldn’t have come to her aid though, because Lydia is wearing the cutest, still hottest dress he’s seen her try on and how’s he supposed to deal with that? Lydia chuckles when he quickly turns around to close the curtain behind them and revels in the way he takes a moment too long to turn back to face her. She’s nervous too.

“So uh-“ Stiles runs his hand through his hair, desperately trying to not check her out. “Your zipper is stuck, right?”

Lydia nods with her lips pursed, turning her back to him. “It just won’t come up,” she murmurs. Her cheeks turn to a soft pink at the way he’s admiring her bare back. Lydia studies his reflection in the mirror in front of her, carousing in the way she catches him biting on his lower lip at the sight.

Stiles groans, internally this time. Couldn’t she at least be wearing a freaking bra? He gets closer slowly to place his left hand softly on her waist over the fabric of the dress, his right coming to grab the zipper that is low, so low on her back that he swallows dryly. At that, Lydia can barely contain a grin and lowers her gaze so that he doesn’t see it, focusing on putting on matching high heels and Stiles, even though he loves that she’s much shorter than him, can’t help but to love that she wears heels sometimes as well; he doesn’t need to bend down to smell her perfume, for instance. It’s so much easier to tease her like this. “Can you move your hair to the side for me?”

Stiles’ voice came out much huskier than he intended but he’s really not to blame; they’re too close. Lydia does as she’s told, pulling her hair over her left shoulder and leaving him undone, leaning in his direction absently. Her skin is like porcelain, ivory contrasting with the auburn tone of her mane and with the dark green of the dress she’s trying on, small freckles dusting her entire back faintly. She’s gonna kill him one day, he just knows it.

Lydia waits patiently as he fumbles with the zipper but successfully gets it moving, slowly pulling it all the way up. When he’s done, neither of them moves, standing still and admiring her frame in the mirror. It’s a sleeveless dress in dark green with a sheath silhouette and a jewel neckline, black blending with the color here and there, the skirt’s length around mid-tight. “So?” she asks timidly, giving him a small smile. “What do you think?”

“You look…” Breathtaking. She looks breathtaking. Stiles might have literally forgotten how to breathe.

She nudges him, her hand finding the one he’s still resting on her waist. Lydia lets out a chuckle at his mesmerized expression. “Stiles?”

He takes a deep breath. “You look beautiful.”

Her cheeks burn hot once again, taking in the compliment. She shakes her head to loosen her hair, a halo of strawberry blonde quickly surrounding her. “Thank you.” Her eyes find his in the mirror and she licks her lips absently. The way he’s looking at her is nothing but affectionate; she has to force herself to break the gaze. “But I meant, is this _the one_? Is this one okay for the New Year’s Eve party?”

Lydia turns to one side and then to the other, checking herself out under his smitten gaze. Stiles gets closer, making her stop when she’s still seeing herself in profile. “Pull your hair up,” he murmurs, amused at the devious glare she gives him. Still she does so almost immediately, testing the look. “You can do some twisted updo or braid your hair like you do sometimes. I know you love your braids,” he says happily. “I think the outfit looks better with your hair up.” He runs a hand down her back teasingly. “And I definitely like this dress better than the others.” Her exposed neck is proof of it, especially if Lydia does decide on using her hair up, and don’t get him started on her long legs. His own road to perdition.

Lydia lets her hair fall again and turns around to face him, his hand remaining on her lower back and burning her skin even through the fabric. Even in heels she’s shorter than him, so she looks up to meet his gaze but ends up staring at his lips. Why does he always have to be doing something with his mouth? There should be a law against that somewhere. Stiles wets his lips briefly when he finds that she’s staring at them, noticing how her breathing picks up at how close they actually are. Stiles is about to brush a loose curl away from her cheek when Scott - so rudely, might he add - interrupts their moment.

“Do you two need a hand with that zipper?”

Stiles huffs, letting go of Lydia instantly and taking a step back, blushing hard much like her. “No.”

“We’ve got it,” Lydia says, letting out a giggle.

“You were taking so long in there, I was wondering what you two were d-”

Stiles interrupts him, speaking to the curtain that’s separating them. “Shut up, Scott.” Glancing at Lydia, Stiles grins, his gaze raking through her body once more in approval. “I think that’s the one. You should take it.” With a wink, he leaves the dressing room to find Scott right outside, beaming like the fool he is. He also ignores the disapproval glares the other woman gives him for leaving a dressing room where he was just now with someone else.

“I hate you so much,” he mutters under his breath, walking past Scott to sit on the armchair again.

His best friend joins him. “Why? It was a legitimate question.”

Stiles gives him an icy glare and intends on keeping his mouth shut on the matter, but Scott doesn’t need him to speak anyway. Stiles seems dazed, keeping his gaze on Lydia’s dressing room with bright red cheeks, his fingers fidgeting on his lap restlessly. This is the sort of situations that Stiles has been trying to avoid at all costs but it just seems that he can’t. He’s convinced that Lydia doesn’t want him, but then they have moments like this and he’s left doubting his better judgement. He still wouldn’t change it one bit; he holds onto every single one of their moments every time.

God, is he in deep.

xxxxxxxxxx

They don’t stay on that department store for long after that since the girls chose their dresses for the party fairly quickly after Stiles and Lydia were interrupted, neither of the girls showing the boys which dresses they picked. The four of them have been wandering around the mall for a while now, looking at window stores and entering smaller shops from time to time while they wait for the movies to start in about an hour.

Scott and Allison have been walking hand in hand, constantly stopping to kiss or literally just make out anywhere – again, Stiles IS NOT jealous, okay? -, all the PDA making Stiles furrow his eyebrows in disbelief and sigh heavily more often than not. Do they really have to be all over the other all the damn time? Because it means that he’s left to walk around with Lydia and yes, he’s very thankful for that, but it only makes him struggle more. It’s not like it hasn’t happened before because it has, but today of all days Stiles is fighting the hardest urge he’s ever had towards the strawberry blonde. And it’s driving him insane.

She’s not really doing anything, bless her; just keeping him company as they move from shop to shop and ignoring the couple in front of them the best that they can. She’s even talking to him, like genuinely talking to him and not just making small talk like any of his previous conquests would, which is great. He loves talking to her. But every few minutes he looks down to find her hand so close to his that he has to stop walking as to not just grab a hold of it. He’s stopped three times in the last twenty minutes already, and now it’s happening again. He’s sure that she doesn’t mean it; sometimes her hand brushes his but he knows it was unintentional and there was no other meaning to it because it won’t happen again for a few minutes, with Lydia consciously not letting her hand brush against his again anytime soon until she forgets about it and it ends up happening once more.

She tugs at his sleeve sometimes, or grabs his wrist, and the only thing Lydia wants is to catch his attention. Like just now, for instance. Lydia stopped walking in front of a window store and tugged at his sleeve so that Stiles could tell her what he thinks of the sneakers that are on display - Stiles thinks she’s fishing. She’s been coming up with lots of different things, as he suspects at least, to offer the boys as a Christmas gift and she wants his opinion on all of the articles she mentions -, and with her touch – that lasted for about a second, lets be honest – Stiles is left wandering about how it would feel to just hold her hand as he pleased or, you know, hold her tight in general. She goes as far as to stand right in front of him, first pointing at different pairs of shoes, then pulling her hair up into a high bun because her hair keeps falling to her face and Stiles knows she’s not doing it on purpose – she couldn’t be, right? –, but her neck is calling his name and if he could only just bend down and do something…

He knows it’s a bad idea even before he opens his mouth but what’s he supposed to do? “Scott!” Stiles’ tone is imperative and surprises all the other three. “Can I talk to you for a sec?” He asks his best friend, who is a few feet away from him and the strawberry blonde. Stiles ignores everyone’s eyes on him the best he can.

Scott seems confused but nods. “Yeah, sure.”

Stiles glances apologetically at both Lydia and Allison muttering that “We’ll just take a minute, sorry,” directing Scott to an hallway nearby and stopping at the corner so that they’re mostly out of the girl’s sight.

Scott had noticed how frantic Stiles was increasingly becoming with the passing of the afternoon, and he figured maybe it was nerves because of Lydia. But now Stiles is mostly on edge and getting paler by the second so there might be something more to it. “Stiles, are you okay?”

Stiles takes a moment to accept the situation and ends up swallowing his pride. This is something he’s never done before. “No, not really.” He clears his throat in a desperate attempt to dissipate his nerves, but it seems that they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. “I need advice. Or uh- I need help.” He takes a deep breath. “Yeah, either an advice or help. Definitely one of those,” he murmurs, trying a lighter tone of voice to fake a little amusement, but Scott sees right through him.

His best friend nods vigorously, noticing how serious Stiles' words are, what they mean. Both Scott and Danny are usually in the loop of things but Stiles never really opens up that much. He tells them the most important parts when he has problems but only in passing, and because both Scott and Danny have known Stiles and his family for years now, they automatically know what he's trying to say and are there to support him, always, but never has Stiles asked directly for help. "You can talk to me, Stiles. Let me help you," he offers, placing a hand on Stiles' shoulder and smiling encouragingly.

Stiles smiles back almost shyly, feeling like he didn't deserve someone in his life as his own best friends. He's done so much shit he's not proud of... Stiles had been the one guiding Danny and Scott down bad paths before and the boys had followed his lead without second thoughts, and still never have they faltered in being there for him. If only he could change how he'd done things, everything could be different. And now Scott is offering help that - Stiles knows - is unconditional, much like Danny would if he was there right now.

Stiles swallows drily one last time and stands straighter, exhaling slowly before the words come out of his mouth as honest as he's ever meant them. "Okay, so hmm... I don't really know how to say this other than going straight to the point. There's something going on and I want your help, Scott. I need your advice on what to do because I'm straight up losing my mind here. I could use some guidance." Scott leans against the wall behind him and nods for Stiles to continue, listening carefully to Stiles' every single word. "Scott, I want- I want Lydia." He glances at the girls a few feet away from them and if anything, Lydia is looking at him with a concerned expression. He smiles softly at her and she returns it, but the worry doesn't leave her eyes and he feels guilty the same way he's been feeling for days now, blushing involuntarily under her gaze. Stiles lowers his head, his hands fiddling nervously with a loose string on the hem of his shirt. "I don't think I've ever wanted anyone like I want her. Scott, I..."

He pauses for a few moments and Scott is aware of how much his best friend is struggling, how much he wants the words out and doesn't really know how to voice them. He glances at the girls and at Allison in particular, trying to signal her with his eyes that maybe they should distance themselves a bit from the boys. At first, Allison doesn't really get what Scott wants so he tilts his head to the side slightly, and within a second Allison is walking Lydia away to look at another window store. Returning his attention to Stiles, the other boy is still looking down, opening and closing his mouth often as if he's choosing the best way to say whatever comes next. "Go on, it's okay," he comforts. “So, you want Lydia…”

Stiles nods in appreciation well aware of what Scott did, then keeps going. "Yes. And not like I did the others, not like that at all. I-" He wants to date her. “Scott, I think I want to date her,” he confesses, his eyes searching Scott’s curiously to see his reaction.

Scott smiles at the admission, remembering clearly the time when he himself came to the same conclusion about Allison. “Okay. That’s great, man. So what are you gonna do about it?”

Stiles starts gesturing with his hands as he talks, like he always seems to do when he’s nervous. “That’s the thing. I don’t know. I don’t know what to do, Scott. Honest to god, she’s the first person I’ve ever considered to be something more for me and I- I just don’t know what to do. And it makes me really anxious. I’m nervous all the time around her because I want to do things that I know I’ll never be able to and she’s my friend. I don’t want to lose her friendship, I can’t. Scott, I can’t lose her.”

Scott frowns. “Stiles, you know that this isn’t really one-sided, right? Lydia cares for you too.”

“As a friend, Scott.” Scott shakes his head slowly in disbelief, but Stiles dismisses it. “And even if it wasn’t like that, I-“ Stiles huffs in frustration. “Scott, I hurt her. I feel like shit all the time because of what I did but then she says something, or she smiles, and there she is. Lydia Martin pulling me in. It’s like I’m under a fucking spell and I literally have no fucking clue at what to do with that.”

A few passers give them a strange look at Stiles’ curse words as they walk by the two boys to find the restrooms down the hallway they’re in. Both Scott and Stiles mutter apologies before continuing. “You feel guiltier about what happened than Lydia holds you to, you know?”

“With good reason,” he retorts. “I was a dick to her. And I’m so, so grateful that she forgave me and gave me a second chance but Scott, I don’t deserve it.”

“You’re the one saying that, not her.”

“What if I hurt her again?”

“You won’t, Stiles. You’d never. You’ve changed, we all have. And I’m pretty sure Lydia wouldn’t let you do that again even if you wanted to.”

Stiles runs a hand through his hair, his other hand moving to rest on his hip. “Okay, so lets say I don’t hurt her.” Because seriously, he’d really never do it again. “Just because Lydia forgave me, it doesn’t erase what I did.”

“If Lydia’s able to move past it, then you should too.”

“What if I can’t? What if I tell you that every time I think about her – which is all the time, by the way -, about how much I want her, I think about what I did? How am I supposed to believe that she’d ever want anything to do with me? I can barely believe she’s my friend.”

“Then maybe you should talk to her about it and work it out. Everything, really.”

“Really, Scott? What, I’ll just walk up to her and tell her that even though I hurt her, I really wanna spend more time with her and then I’ll break into a song about how amazing she is and how much better my life became since she’s in it and then ask if she wants me too?” he remarks sarcastically.

Scott answers with an unsure “Maybe” to Stiles’ rant. He knows he’s just panicking.

Stiles rolls his eyes. “Scott. I’m serious. I know I shouldn’t do anything, but I want to and I don’t really know what and it’s been eating at me for days now…”

His best friend interrupts him. “Stiles, I don’t think you realize this - like for real, like in I really mean what I’m saying – but Lydia does like you.”

“Scott-”

“No. You asked for my advice, now I’m giving it to you. She likes you and you like her and I know it’s not ideal. You did something you shouldn’t have done but Lydia was able to leave it in the past. You should too, Stiles. And when you do, maybe the two of you can finally find a way to work things out. You’re far too experienced where Lydia is not and you both challenge each other in ways most couples don’t and that’s okay, Stiles. It makes you two unique. You’ll just have to find your balance.”

Stiles takes Scott’s words in like a breath of fresh air and considers them, really takes a few silent moments to maul them over in his head and make sense of them. “So, lets say I really, _really_ want to do something about it, what do I do? I can’t just blurt everything out like that, she deserves better.”

Scott smiles happily this time. “You start with the small things. You’re already her friend and you’re already there for her, so amuse her, compliment her, keep her company. See how she reacts to you, read her. And I mean really pay attention, Stiles, because you’re so anxious all the time that you don’t even see it.” Stiles opens his mouth to argue but Scott doesn’t let him. “Stiles, I’m telling you. I know she’s new to the whole dating thing, but then again so are you. Pay attention. If you really do, you’ll see what I mean. You two getting together is gonna be easier than you think.”

Stiles nods, looking down at his feet. “There’s another thing,” he mumbles.

Scott knows what it is and gets closer to bring Stiles in for a hug, patting him on the back. “Stiles, your dad likes Lydia. Hell, I think he likes her better than he likes me and Danny.” Stiles chuckles because deep down he knows it’s true even if he can't really believe it. Lydia has been spending a few afternoons studying with Stiles at his place and ever since it started, his dad seems much more relaxed. Even without trying too hard, Lydia has been helping both father and son. It’s just another reason for Stiles to be thankful for having the strawberry blonde in his life. “Things are different now. He won’t send you away, Stiles, I just- I know it. So don’t let it hold you back, man.” Stiles sniffs, the emotion overcoming him as he fights back tears. Scott has been through it all with him. “And for the record, I think your mom would love her.”

Stiles lets a single tear slip away at that and smiles bright. "Thanks, Scott."

Scott beams. "Now why don't you go freshen up? We'll be by the newsstand. You can meet us there, alright?"

Stiles nods and wipes his cheek. "Okay, sure." He starts walking away towards the restrooms while Scott goes in the opposite direction, but Stiles stills calls out for his best friend. Maybe Scott does know what’s he’s talking about after all. "And Scott?" The other boy turns around. "Really, thank you."

xxxxxxxxxx

Stiles comes out of the restrooms to find Lydia standing alone waiting for him. She still looks a little worried and meets him instantly. "Hey, are you okay?"

Stiles smiles softly, blushing a little. "Yeah, I'm okay now."

Lydia reaches for his arm, squeezing lightly. "I'm glad."

Stiles notices that her touch lasts a few seconds longer this time, and _is she blushing_? "Where are Scott and Allison?"

"They ditched me," she replies, tugging him along so that they return to the main corridor. "They're probably making out in a corner somewhere," she scowls.

“And your bag?”

“Ally has it. I made her take it as punishment,” she smiles. “They left me alone so yes, she can carry my bag for a little while.”

"You didn't have to wait for me," he murmurs, his smile vanishing when she lets go of him.

"Yeah, and what? I'd be a third wheel? No, thank you." Stiles chuckles. "And I wanted to check on you, anyway. You seemed a little distressed," she tries, not so successfully, to find out what it was about.

"I'm okay," he reassures again. "So what do you want to do? We still have..." He checks his watch. "Like, forty minutes to kill."

Lydia shrugs her shoulders, walking behind him and noticing how he slows his own pace so that she can't keep up. "Lets just wander around. Everything looks so beautiful," she comments, referring to the Christmas spirit that's all around them, colorful lights everywhere and carols playing in the background, kids getting in line to meet Santa since Christmas is in just a few days.

Stiles looks at her when she says that, a grin appearing on his face. "Yeah, it does," he mutters in an endearing tone, one that doesn't escape Lydia. She blushes harder this time, the color of her cheeks almost matching the one of the red scarf she's wearing, and really it's impossible to miss. Stiles blushes himself.

They walk around for a while, making casual conversation and looking at even more window stores as they go by, Scott and Allison never in sight. And then Stiles sees _it_. "Oh, I know exactly where we're going next," he beams.

Lydia looks up at him with a curious look on her face, eyes shining at how happy he suddenly seems. "Where?" Stiles nods to his left and Lydia follows his gaze, easily realizing what they're looking at. "No!"

"Come on," he teases.

"No. Stiles!" He's the one tugging at her arm this time, bringing her along with him until they reach the destination he has in mind. "Stiles, if I get in, I won’t come out anytime soon," she warns.

He doesn't even listen to her, opening the door for Lydia to walk in first and following her right after, his attention solely on the reaction of the strawberry blonde. If Lydia was resistant at first, now she's not at all. In fact, her eyes are glistening much like the ones of the kids out there who are waiting for their turn to ask of Santa Claus what they want for Christmas this year. "Go on," he murmurs from behind her.

Lydia starts walking away from Stiles but still looks over her shoulder at him, a sly grin teasingly letting him know he'll pay for this. "Are you gonna come along or what?"

Stiles smirks. "Definitely. Wouldn't miss this experience for the world."

They're in a bookstore. They're in a bookstore and Stiles clearly remembers all the times Lydia has rambled about how going into a bookstore is something magical, almost ritualistic to her. How she'd spend hours shopping for books if she could, or sitting in a corner drinking tea and reading quietly surrounded be their scent. Every time she shares her memories of it with him, Stiles' chest tightens. She goes on about it with so much love that he himself falls for her a little bit more whenever she does so. It’s sooner than he was hoping but Stiles can't miss this first hand.

Lydia smiles shyly and ends up blushing again. She's never shared this with anyone but Stiles, and she did it mostly because Stiles is absolutely adorable when he talks about his love for his mom, something that Lydia has learned he doesn't mention that much, and so she thought she could share something with him in return. Lydia used to shop for books with her parents when she was a little kid, but that was so long ago that Lydia had decided to do it by herself anytime she needed a little therapy. She loves this, more so now that Stiles seems to genuinely want to be there with her.

Lydia starts her own routine with Stiles tagging along closely. She breathes in the scent of new paper and fresh ink, an almost artificial fragrance that contrasts with the smell of old books - a scent that Lydia absolutely loves. She still likes how clean the modern bookstores look to her, how neat, a sense of rightness filling her even though she is much more comfortable in old bookstores or even in libraries. She approaches the first table absently to check the bestsellers, but those never really catch her eye. Then she starts studying every single shelf, swiftly letting her eyes drift from cover to cover, title to title as she looks for interesting books no matter the subject. Stiles watches her closely; how sometimes her hands brush along the shelves as she walks by them, how she inhales sharply when she picks up a book and her thumb flips through the pages expertly, how her fingertips handle the pages with such care it makes him envious, how the smile she’s wearing doesn’t fade at all, just grows wider.

When Lydia chooses a book of her liking that now she’ll just have to buy because of Stiles, she turns around to face him. “You’re paying for this,” she jokes.

Stiles just beams in response, shrugging his shoulders. “Sure. Take as many as you want.”

She _tsks_. “I meant, you’re gonna pay for dragging me here. I could spend hours doing this, you know?” She has done so countless times in a row. 5 hours in a row is her personal record and she shares it with pride whenever she can.

Stiles is well aware of that and honestly there’s not much he’d rather do with his life other than keep her company for those hours if she’d ever let him. “I know what you meant, but I don’t mind paying for the books either,” he says nonchalantly.

“I was just joking, Stiles. You don’t have to do that,” she says, embarrassed. Never has a boy bought anything for her.

“I don’t mind. In fact, it’s my pleasure.” It really is. If it means he gets to see her happy in her element like this, dammit he’ll buy the whole bookstore if he has to. Lydia lowers her head to hide a grin behind her scarf but her cheeks still tell him she’s flattered. “But if you don’t want me to do that now, maybe I’ll just leave it to consideration for your Christmas present,” he offers, shadowing her again as she moves to a different shelf on the other side of the bookstore.

“Oh I’d like to see that. You wouldn’t know what book to buy me,” she teases.

“Maybe you’ll be surprised.” If only she knew what he has planned…

They keep moving around for a few more minutes and before they know it Lydia has already three books in her arms and is looking for a fourth. When she finds the one, she huffs, then turns around to find that Stiles is right beside her and a little closer than she thought. She doesn’t linger on that thought though, pushing the books she’s holding against his chest. “Hold these, please.”

He does as he’s told, letting out a chuckle when he sees all 5’3 of her trying to reach the top shelf. She’ll never get to it by herself. “Want some help?” he asks amused, raising a questioning eyebrow.

She waves her hand dismissively. “Nah, I got it.”

“Are you sure?”

He watches as Lydia gets on her tiptoes and stretches one of her arms up as far as it goes, her other hand finding support on the shelf for balance. “Shh.” She tries to reach for the book three times before she gives up. Then she starts looking around for a small stool she can use, soon finding one and climbing up.

Stiles panics when he finds her swaying a bit on her step, and his free hand is quick to find her waist to keep her steady as he clutches the books firmly against his chest, ready to let them fall in a heartbeat in case he needs to catch her. “Lydia, are you crazy?” he scolds.

She ignores the way his fingers are exactly at the hem of her shirt, which is not tucked into her jeans. They burn. She looks down at him. “What?” she hisses just to get on his nerves.

Stiles exhales sharply, trying his best not to look at her ass, which he already knows looks great in her jeans. Not that he had been looking… “Are you trying to break your neck? You’re in heels!”

Lydia looks down at her boots appreciatively – a gift from Allison – and ignores Stiles’ remark. She grabs the book and checks the back cover to make sure it’s what she wants, taking her time just to mess with him further. “And?”

“Please, just come down.”

She feels him letting go of her and so she looks down to find Stiles holding out his hand for her to take. She’s the one raising an eyebrow at him this time but he just tilts his head, waiting for Lydia to take it, and for a moment she’s not sure if she should. Every time their hands touch, she feels this need to just hold it and she’s afraid to do it. But hey, she’ll take whatever she gets. It’s funny that his hands are so much bigger than hers, but she still thinks they fit perfectly.

Stiles sighs in relief when she clasps her hand in his and climbs down of the stool, and then they’re standing too close for him to know what to do next, not letting go of the other. Still, following Scott’s advice, Stiles studies her. He notices the way her breathing picks up first, then the way her eyes flicker between his own and his mouth in quick movements. Her hand doesn’t leave his right away as if she needs to ground herself. He’s doing the exact same thing, mirroring her reactions seamlessly.

Lydia watches him bite down on his bottom lip softly and for a moment she thinks Stiles is finally gonna kiss her, his eyes shining the same way they did after they broke their first kiss that one time and her heart starts beating faster, but then another customer politely asks them to step aside so he can reach the shelf behind them and they have to part awkwardly. Both of them hide their smiles from the other.

Lydia waits for him to meet her again and takes the books back from him. He frowns. “Can I at least carry your books for you? Since apparently I can’t grab them from shelves you obviously can’t get to…”

“Is that a pout?” she jokes. It is and it seems genuine to her somehow. She doesn’t want to upset him, so she explains. “You know I don’t like to ask for help, Stiles,” she says only loud enough for him to hear. “I don’t want people to feel like they have to do things for me…” she murmurs, taking her place in line to pay for her books.

Stiles is standing right behind her and actually whispers in her ear this time. “I don’t _have to_ , Lydia. I want to, it’s different. And I was the one who offered to help. I know you spent years taking care of things by yourself but it doesn’t have to be like that anymore.” He watches her swallow and lower her head before he continues. “Next time let me help, alright? I wouldn’t want you breaking a leg or something.”

Lydia chuckles and looks at him over her shoulder, nodding in agreement. “Okay. Next time.”

He grins and they wait for their turn, always close to the other. It takes them longer than they hoped since there’s a particularly angry customer arguing with the cashier and when Stiles checks the time, he sees that they only have ten minutes to run to the movies and meet with Scott and Allison. He thinks about calling the cashier to attention since there are already more people in line, but then he notices how Lydia shivers and his focus shifts again. It’s already late in the afternoon and it’s getting colder by the second, but Stiles doesn’t hesitate in taking off his jacket and placing it over Lydia’s shoulders.

She jolts surprised at the action and looks at him questioningly. “What are you doing?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “You shivered.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Stiles, you’ll get cold without it…”

“And you’re already cold and it’s December. I don’t want to hear it, no arguments about this. You’re keeping the jacket for tonight, Lydia. _I want_ you to.”

“Stiles-” He looks at her pointedly and clenches his jaw in an effort to look serious, mostly not to laugh. Lydia rolls her eyes. “Fine.”

No reason to make a big deal out of this; she wanted to keep it anyway.

xxxxxxxxxx

They find their friends just in time to enter the movie theater and neither Scott nor Allison mention that Lydia is now properly wearing Stiles’ jacket - or more accurately, almost buried in it since it’s a few sizes too big for her, her hands completely invisible inside its sleeves - or that Stiles is carrying the bag with her books for her, that he’d quickly snatched from the cashier before Lydia could.

The four of them enter the room together but soon Stiles and Lydia are left alone again. When both of them complain because this was supposed to be a group outing, Allison only replies with “Unless you want to see us make out for two hours, we’re gonna go to the back” and Stiles and Lydia end up complying easily. What could they do really? Stiles still mumbles under his breath things that Lydia can’t quite understand, mostly because they chose to see a horror movie to amuse both Stiles and Scott and now his best friend is not even gonna pay attention to it. However good Scott’s advice may be, he’s still a sucky friend.

There aren’t that many people around so Lydia leads Stiles to the middle of the room and they sit down next to each other, more stiffly than they had ever sat together especially since the lights are dimmed down almost immediately, engulfing everything in complete darkness. Both keep their hands on their laps not really knowing what to do with them, sneaky glances shared between them every once in a while.

Stiles tries to focus on the movie to ignore the best he can the fact that, twenty minutes into it like just now, he’d be making out with whoever he’d chosen to bring with him or, well, other things. At least it’s how it used to go in the past. On her part, Lydia hides inside his jacket, partly from the movie and partly from Stiles himself. His eyes bore into hers through the darkness like fire from time to time and she’s sure she looks back at him the same way and it’s making her nervous. It’s the first time she shares a movie with someone and it was supposed to be a group thing, but now she’s only with Stiles, and even though she’s definitely not complaining, it leaves her anxious.

They don’t share a word for the first half an hour and the tension is almost palpable, but things change when a particularly scary and nasty scene is shown and Lydia yelps, quickly finding his hand to hold in the dark, hiding her face on his shoulder. Stiles is about to laugh at her, but then she refrains from being so close to him all of a sudden and sits straight again and she actually looks back at him terrified, so Stiles entwines his fingers with hers absently, pulling her the tinniest bit closer. “You okay?” he asks seriously, almost positively sure that Lydia looks more livid than she did just a minute ago.

“Sorry. I uh…” She takes her hand away from him, obviously embarrassed with what she did. “Sorry.”

She looks frightened and not many things would get that reaction out of her. Then it hits him. “Lydia, tell me you like horror movies,” he murmurs.

She lowers her head and shakes it slowly, not quite meeting his gaze. “Not really.” And by not really, she means she’s terrified of them and wishes they didn’t even exist.

Stiles forgets about the movie completely. “Why would you agree to see it then?”

She whispers back, keeping her tone low to not get other people’s attention. “You and Scott wanted to see it. And Ally and I, we thought… You know, we made you wait for us all afternoon while we were trying on clothes so we thought of doing it for you two.”

Stiles frowns, feeling a little bitter. “Some friends they are. They’re not even watching the movie,” he mutters, looking back to the last row to find Scott and Allison glued to one another. His gaze returns to Lydia just in time to see her flinch as the serial killer slits someone’s throat and an incredibly melodramatic scream cuts through the room like sharp glass, startling pretty much everyone. “You want to go? We don’t have to stay.”

Lydia swallows and dries her palms on her jeans, shaking her head once more. “No, it’s okay. I’ll just not watch it.”

Stiles watches her closely as she avoids looking at the screen again, well aware of the fact that there’s blood everywhere. “Let’s just go, I don’t mind. We can wait for them outside.”

She places her hand on his arm. “No. You wanted to watch it. We stay.”

Stiles notices how she doesn’t take her hand away this time, and blushes at the way she does seem bothered by the on-going screams around them but is focused on her hand still on his arm, smiling timidly at him just to appease him. He decides to humor her because really, the last thing he wants right now is to banter with her if she’s scared. “Talk to me.”

“Talk to you?” she asks confused.

“Yeah. Distract yourself from the movie and talk to me.” Lydia looks at him skeptical but Stiles just nods and flashes the strawberry blonde an adoring smile.

“And what do you want to talk about, Stilinski?”

“Anything.” Lydia flinches again to a particular halt in the background music predicting what’s probably coming next, and so Stiles decides to try something else. If anything, at least she’s not really seeing him blush. Slowly, he slides his arm enough to capture her hand with his again.

Lydia doesn’t fight it and scoots a little closer to him, resting her head against his shoulder just as another victim gets killed. She closes her eyes and hides away from the stupid movie, ending up just a little too close to his neck but she doesn’t care. She was already getting familiar with his scent because of his jacket but this is so, so much better she’s not even ashamed of just staying close to him like that.

When he overcomes the shock of having Lydia so near and is more than pleased that she doesn’t move away, Stiles relaxes on his seat and exhales slowly when Lydia decides to ignore the turmoil she can feel in her stomach to start brushing her fingertips on his hand, moving to his arm where his sleeve is rolled up, an almost ghostly touch that has electricity running through them both at the innocent gesture, than back to his hand again. She stops then, unsure of if she should just grab it or even if she can. But Stiles answers her insecurities and his own by being the one to make a move, and soon enough their fingers are entwined and they proceed like this is normal, like it’s something they do every day.

They end up talking throughout the rest of the movie and when worse scenes are shown on-screen, Stiles just keeps talking to her like if nothing is happening outside their bubble, his thumb lazily moving in circles on her palm or the back of her hand to soothe her. As they wait for the movie to end, Stiles and Lydia end up discussing their plans for Christmas since the group is gonna be apart then to be with their respective families, and after that moving to the topic of the New Year’s Eve party they all had agreed to throw just for the group and a few other close friends. Their eyes don’t meet the entire time as if they’re shy - and just maybe they are -, both of them focusing instead on their hands as time passes them by with hushed tones all but murmured only loud enough for the other to hear, and eventually Stiles rests his head against hers, still on his shoulder, and they stay like that until the movie ends. Nothing has ever felt so right.

xxxxxxxxxx

“Soooooo?” Allison asks as soon as Lydia comes out of the bathroom, far too excited to learn all the details.

It had taken the brunette almost three hours to get Lydia all to herself. After the movie ended, Stiles had driven both girls home and since Lydia is staying with Allison for the weekend, the girls had to share dinner with Allison’s parents. Allison hadn’t liked that idea very much because most of the time was spent with both Chris and Victoria asking Lydia every little detail about Scott much to Allison’s exasperation and Lydia’s amusement, but Lydia loved the way they made her feel welcome just like they always did – Lydia misses this with her own family. It’s one of the reasons she’ll be going home for Christmas -. But that was finally over now, and both girls find themselves with their teeth brushed, changed into their pjs and ready to go to bed. Allison has been waiting for this for hours.

Lydia releases her hair from her bun and starts combing her locks with her fingers, tilting her head slightly and returning Allison’s gaze. “So what?”

Allison plops down on her bed and sits cross legged, scowling at the strawberry blonde. “Don’t play dumb, Lyds. I want to know everything.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says nonchalantly, a grin escaping despite herself, followed by a heartfelt giggle that Allison mirrors.

“Oh, you know _exactly_ what I’m talking about!”

“You know,” Lydia murmurs as she makes her way to Allison’s bed as well, immediately hiding under the covers and away from her nosy friend, “I could ask of you the exact same thing. I heard you had quite an interesting day yourself.”

Allison follows her, not letting Lydia get away with it. “But I’m already dating Scott so it doesn’t matter _as much_. Now you… You and Stiles, I want to know every single detail of how your afternoon went.”

Lydia waits until Allison is under the covers as well to bite back, turning on her side to face the brunette properly. “If you and Scott hadn’t ditched us for most of the time, you’d know what happened.”

“If Scott and I hadn’t ditched you two, you probably wouldn’t have anything to tell me in the first place, now would you?” She asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, shut up.” Lydia buries her face in her hands in a vain effort to hide her embarrassment while trying her best not to chuckle, but Allison just pulls her hands away softly, patiently waiting for Lydia to open up. “Okay, I give up. What do you want to know?”

If anyone asks, Allison did not just squeal. “Yes! So did you kiss already?”

Lydia rolls her eyes. “Really? That’s your first question?” Allison just gives her a pointed _of course_ look. “No, we didn’t. But hmm…”

“But? There’s a _but_?!”

Lydia’s cheeks turn pink instantly. “Maybe he kissed my cheek. And maybe I kissed him back. And maybe we lingered for just a moment too long…”

“What?! When did that happen?”

Lydia chuckles. “When Scott was eating your face and neither of you was paying attention to us. Also right when your dad appeared at the door to call us inside.”

“Who kissed who first?”

“Stiles did.” It had been a little strange. After their moment at the movie theater, things didn’t seem so easy with them out in the open so when Stiles parked his beloved Jeep Roscoe on Allison’s driveway to drop off the girls and Scott immediately proceeded to make out with his girlfriend on the front lawn like if he wasn’t gonna see her for a decade, Stiles and Lydia had been awkwardly standing close to the vehicle to say their goodbyes for the night as well. There was stuttering on both parts and timidity, but eventually Stiles just did it. He just kissed her cheek and didn’t back away and they just looked at each other. And then Chris had been calling for both her and Allison to head inside and their moment was disrupted, but before Lydia left him she stole a kiss as well, tugging at his shirt and getting on her tiptoes to face him properly, muttering a _see you tomorrow_ that had sounded far too enticing. Lydia tells Allison everything that went on during the day from their moment in the dressing room to the bookstore and the movies.

Allison claps her hands enthusiastically. “Thank god! Stiles finally grew a pair. We were wondering how long it would take him. It’s so funny, Lydia, knowing how before he was _the_ Stiles Stilinski and now he’s always shy around you and doesn’t really know what to do…”

Lydia sighs. “At least he’s not the only one. I never know what to do when I’m around him either. It’s like… I know I’m not experienced but I know what I’m supposed to do. I just-” Lydia wets her lips absently, lowering her gaze for a moment before looking back at the brunette again. “Ally, I… What if he doesn’t want me? The inexperienced me, I mean. I keep thinking that the small things aren’t gonna be enough for _the_ Stiles Stilinski, you know?”

Allison smiles softly, finding Lydia’s hand in between the sheets to squeeze in reassurance. “Do you wanna know why I think that doesn’t matter to him?” Lydia only nods. “He’s not _the_ Stiles Stilinski anymore, not since you arrived and turned his world upside down. He’s just Stiles. And just Stiles… He likes you, Lydia. He’s just as nervous and reticent about starting this as you are.”

“Yeah, I guess…”

“You two are always so tense, you just need to loosen up. You’re gonna be just fine before you know it,” she offers, smiling genuinely. “So, are you gonna see him tomorrow? It’s Sunday, we don’t have to stay in.”

“I don’t know, we never got to settle for anything. Your dad wouldn’t leave the front porch so he ended up leaving with Scott before we made any plans.”

“I see you kept his jacket…” Allison teases.

Lydia grins despite herself. “Yeah, I’ll have to give it back to him.”

Allison smirks, loving the way Lydia’s eyes light up when they talk about Stiles, perfectly aware that Stiles does the exact same thing when it comes to Lydia. These two idiots are falling in love with each other and just don’t know how to take their next step. Maybe all they need is a little push. “Oh, I’m having an idea.”

“That’s never good,” Lydia mocks, getting comfortable and nuzzling her head on the pillow, ready to rest.

Allison laughs lowly, voice laced with sleep as well. “Shh. Just go to sleep, little redhead. I’ll take care of everything, don’t you worry.”

Lydia still rolls her eyes but soon she’s drifting off to dreams of a brown-haired boy and golden eyes. Allison tries her best to stay awake for just a little longer, waiting until she hears Lydia’s soft snores to snatch her phone from her nightstand, a devious, lazy grin making its way to her lips when she shoots Stiles a text before turning off the lights and falling asleep herself.

xxxxxxxxxx

“Scott? Are you out?” Stiles all but whispers to his best friend, nudging him on the back. Stiles and Scott are having a sleepover as well, Stiles’ bedroom being the place where they’re currently crashing on after falling asleep while playing videogames.

“You think? Your phone vibrating is like a freaking machine gun. Jesus Christ, Stiles,” Scott mutters annoyed. He was more asleep than awake already.

Stiles just grins, shaking his phone on his hand happily like he just won the lottery. “I thought you should know that I love your girlfriend.”

At the mention of Allison, Scott sits up and hastily takes the phone from his best friend, checking the text he got from the brunette. He chuckles and returns the device to Stiles, laying back on the bed besides his best friend and patting him on the chest lightly. “Oh, she’s lovable, alright. I guess tomorrow is gonna be fun.”

Stiles places the phone back on his nightstand, trying to fall asleep the best he can with Allison’s message in mind.

**Allison: You better tell me your indoor pool and the jacuzzi are working, Stilinski. I just had the best idea ever for all of us to hangout before going away for Christmas, so they better be working by tomorrow. Not to be bossy or anything. Love you :)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Please review.


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